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Fires Update: Wednesday (April 27) 8 AM

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KRTS listener Tom Randell of Great Britain snapped this photo on Highway 17 north of Fort Davis, evening of April 26

South of Marfa: The fire on the Shurley Ranch, about twenty miles south of Marfa, is located about 16 miles south of the Border Patrol checkpoint along Highway 67 - about 2-3 miles east of the road. The Marfa Volunteer Fire Department was called to the scene last night at 7 PM. With winds out of the north west, the fire is traveling slowly over ranch land to the south east. Marfa Volunteer Fire Department Fire Chief Gary Mitschke is in contact with the Forest Service about the possibility of getting a hot shot crew out to the site. This may prove difficult, as fire resources are already spread thin. Fire fighters successfully defended the Shurley Ranch complex, and currently no structures are threatened. The fire is moving through an area of spotty and rough terrain. While it is too early to tell, Mitschke speculates that the fire may have started when last evenings high winds rustled power lines, perhaps causing sparks.

Northern end of Fort Davis: Tuesday night, Volunteer Fire Departments from Fort Davis and Alpine battled a blaze that sprung up near the Y-road split of Highways 118 and 17. The fire moved 1/2 mile to a mile north toward Scobee Mountain. Fire fighters worked through the night and extinguished the blaze around 3:30 AM.

Rock House Fire: Hundreds of firefighters still battle the Rock House blaze in Jeff Davis County. This is Day 19 of the fire, which began in Presidio County near Marfa, then blazed through Jeff Davis County. Current efforts are focused in the Madera Canyon region.

Former KRTS/KXWT News Director