Mason County wildfire ignited by lightning, forest service says; 4,300 acres burned and 80% contained

MASON COUNTY, Texas (KXAN) — The Mason Volunteer Fire Department and several other fire departments across the Hill Country are working to put out a wildfire in Mason County Friday morning.

The wildfire is located about seven miles east of Mason near the intersection of North Art Road and Highway 29.

Texas A&M Forest Service said last night’s storms sparked the flames.

Fire officials said they anticipated something like this for a while now, especially because of how tall the grass has grown.

“Fuel conditions have really increased over the last several months, and now that we’re in a drying trend, we’ve just been poised waiting for an ignition source,” Crimm said.

Saturday at 11:00 a.m.

The Texas Forest Service map showed the fire was at 4,313 acres with 80% containment.

Saturday at 6:40 a.m.

The Texas Forest Service map showed the fire was at 4,313 acres with 50% containment.

Friday at 5:45 p.m.

The fire is now 40% contained , according to the Texas Forest Service.

Friday at 1:35 p.m.

The Texas Forest Service said fires have merged. So far, more than 4,000 acres have burned, and officials said the fire was 30% contained.

Friday at 10:55 a.m.

Texas A&M Forest Service said the “North Art Complex” fire remained at 3,000 acres and 25% contained shortly before 11 a.m.

Friday at 10:20 a.m.

Texas A&M Forest Service said no structures have been lost.

Friday at 10:10 a.m.

The Texas A&M Forest Service said the fire in Mason County, named the “North Art Complex” was 3,000 acres and 25% contained shortly after 10 a.m.

Friday at 6:45 a.m.

The Texas A&M Forest Service said the fire is currently an estimated 3,000 acres and 10% contained.

The service said the wildfire is actually a combination of three fires that were ignited by lightning late Thursday night. The three fires were grouped into a complex “due to their proximity with one another for ease of management,” the forest service said.

According to the Texas A&M Forest Service, the fire was initially very active and there were structures threatened, but by early morning, fire activity had “diminished” and responders were building a containment line around the perimeter of the fire.

The service did not yet have information about evacuations or structure loss/damage.

The forest service will continually provide updates on the size and containment of the fire online .

Friday at 4:59 a.m.

The Texas A&M Forest Service said on Friday morning the fire has burned over 3,000 acres and has been 10% contained.

KXAN’s First Warning Weather team was tracking storms with the threat of lightning in the area at the time the wildfire began on Thursday. However, an official cause had not yet been determined as of this update.

Authorities said no one has been told to evacuate their home at this time.

Thursday at 10:28 p.m.

The Texas A&M Forest Service said on Thursday night the “North Art Complex” fire has burned over 1,500 acres, and has been 0% contained.

The fire comes after the Mason County judge issued a burn ban Wednesday for the area because of the potential threat of wildfires.

Resources and relief

A community organizer with Rancher Navy, a fire relief group for ranchers, said the Mason County Rodeo Association is opening up their facilities for people that need somewhere to take their livestock.

Mason County AgriLife Extension shared resource information on its Facebook page .

The Mason County Show Barn is serving as a livestock supply point and is accepting the following donations: hay, livestock feed, horse feed, feed troughs, water troughs, buckets, feed supplies, and fencing supplies.

Donations can be delivered starting Aug. 23, from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. until further notice

Those who donate should call the Mason County Extension Office before drop off at (325) 347-6459, or Sam Spradlin at (817) 559-0979, the post said.

A small animal evacuation site is set up at the Mason County Show Barn at 1015 San Antonio Street, Mason . A cattle evacuation site is set up a the Jordan Cattle Auction at 204 Gooch Ave., Mason .

This is a developing story. Check back with KXAN.com for updates.

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