The wildfire that has burned more than 1,000 acres of remote ranch land in northern Jeff Davis County is now fully contained, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.
By Annie Rosenthal
Update, 4:59 p.m.
Fire crews have fully contained the wildfire that's been burning in north Jeff Davis County this week, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.
The Nunn Fire has burned about 1,121 acres of rural ranch land since it started on Monday – but did not damage any buildings.
The wildfire broke out in a remote part of the High Lonesome Ranch, west of Highway 118, after ants caused a water well to short circuit, sparking the blaze.
Original Story
Four days after the Nunn Fire began burning in north Jeff Davis County, responding firefighters say it’s all but over. As of 10:30 am on Thursday, the fire was 90 percent contained and had burned 1,121 acres of rural ranchland.
“We’ll continue to monitor the area, but we pretty much considered it to be contained,” said Jim Fowler, spokesperson for the Fort Davis Volunteer Fire Department. He believes state fire crews will likely have the blaze fully controlled by the end of the day.
The wildfire broke out in a remote part of High Lonesome Ranch on Monday, west of Highway 118. Officials reported that it began when ants building a nest inside the electrical box of a water well caused a short circuit.
Despite high winds and warm temperatures, crews from several agencies working together were able to stop the flames from spreading further by Tuesday night, and have since been “mopping up” hot spots, Fowler said.
No buildings or structures have been damaged by the fire. Winds have subsided and the region is no longer under a red flag warning for critical fire danger, according to the National Weather Service.
Originally, officials reported that the fire had burned 650 acres of ranchland, but on Wednesday night revised that figure to 1,121 acres after “more accurate mapping” was conducted.
