BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – Bexar County officials are still adding up the final numbers, but they released new information Wednesday that shows the impact of Tuesday’s Duke Road fire.
In all, six homes were lost in the fire, county officials said.
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According to a Bexar County Office of Emergency Management estimate, more than 200 acres (205) in Bexar County were affected by the fire, which began burning Tuesday near the Bexar County-Atascosa County line.
The fire also impacted 39 additional acres of Atascosa County land, bringing the total number of impacted acres to 244, the county said.
The Bexar County Fire Marshal’s Office does not yet know the cause of the fire, but the office believes the fire started in the 1100 block of Duke Road near Trumbo Road.
As of 5:26 p.m. Wednesday, the Bexar County-Atascosa County fire — also known as the “Duke Fire” — is 100% contained, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.
While the fire is contained and streets have since been reopened, Bexar County officials said Wednesday that dozens of first responders are extinguishing any remaining hot spots at the scene.
A dollar amount for total damage inflicted by the fire is unclear, officials said.
Gov. Abbott says federal assistance is on the way
Also on Wednesday, FEMA approved the state’s request for fire management assistance grants for fires in San Patricio and Bexar counties, specifically the Duke Road fire, Gov. Greg Abbott’s office announced.
The grants mean that the State of Texas is eligible for 75% reimbursement from the federal government for costs associated with the Welder fire in San Patricio County and the Duke Road fire.
The funds are available for states and local jurisdictions to mitigate, manage and control fires on publicly or privately owned forests or grassland that would create a major disaster.
Abbott said state emergency responders supported 41 new wildfires that burned more than 4,400 acres on Tuesday.
“FEMA’s approval of Texas’ grant assistance request for San Patricio and Bexar counties will provide crucial financial assistance to help ease the cost of fighting the Welder and Duke fires. I thank the Texas Department of Emergency Management, local emergency management personnel, and our brave firefighters for their tireless work to combat these fires and protect their fellow Texans,” Abbott stated in part. ”Texans are strongly urged to heed the guidance of state and local officials and first responders and take all necessary precautions to keep yourself and your loved ones safe.”
Abbott’s office said the following state emergency response resources support wildfire responses:
Texas A&M Forest Service (Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System): More than 250 state and local firefighters, support personnel, fire engines, bulldozers, and motor graders; 33 federally-contracted firefighting aircraft, including 4 large air tankers, 15 single-engine air tankers for retardant drops, 4 air attack platforms for surveillance and spotting, 2 super scoopers for water drops, 4 helicopters with firefighting capability, 3 fire bosses for aerial guidance, and an air support module for aerial guidance
Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM): The State of Texas Incident Management Team to support deployed emergency response resources across the state
Texas National Guard: Chinook and Blackhawk helicopters with firefighting capability
Texas Department of State Health Services (Texas Emergency Medical Task Force): Wildfire Support Packages consisting of medics, ambulances, and all-terrain vehicles
Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service: Disaster Assessment and Recovery Agents as well as AgriLife Extension Agents to support agricultural and livestock needs
Texas Animal Health Commission: Coordinating animal resource needs
Texas Department of Agriculture: Coordinating agricultural resource needs
Texas Department of Transportation: Personnel monitoring road conditions
Public Utility Commission of Texas: Power outage monitoring and coordination with utility providers
Railroad Commission of Texas: Monitoring of the state’s natural gas supply and communication with the oil and gas industry
Texas Commission on Environmental Quality: Air/water/wastewater monitoring
Texas Health and Human Services Commission: Personnel to provide information on available services through the 2-1-1 Texas Information Referral Network
Texas Department of Information Resources: Monitoring technology infrastructure
Find wildfire resources, tips, and how to report damage on the Texas Disaster Portal at disaster.texas.gov.
For more information on reporting damage on the TDEM online damage survey, click here.
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