A brutal wildfire is raging ‘unchecked’ across the Panhandle of Texas with the entire population of Alanreed evacuated as first responders fight to stop the small town being wiped from the map.
Social media posts claiming that Alanreed burned to the ground quickly went viral but Gray County officials confirmed to Dailymail.com that fire fighters were actively working to stop the blaze and that it was too early to assess the full extent of the damage.
Alanreed, about 340 miles north west of Dallas in the corner of Texas wedged between New Mexico and Oklahoma, is only about 0.5 square miles and had a last reported population of 16 people, according to recent Census data.
The fire in Alanreed has been named the Rest Area Fire and is currently estimated to be ravaging around 1,000 acres, Erin O’Connor, a program leader in the Fire & Emergency Response Division with Texas A&M Forest Service told Dailymail.com.
Another fire in a nearby Roberts County, called the Windmill Fire, is an estimated 750 acres and is 0 percent contained.
The evacuation notices comes as Texas A&M Forest Service warned residents in the northern part of the state of ‘extreme wildfire danger.’
Officials warned that high winds between 30 and 40mph with gusts over 60mph and low humidity has created the perfect storm for wildfires.
‘Stay WILDFIRE ALERT today! If a wildfire is spotted, immediately contact local authorities. A quick response can help save lives and property,’ Texas A&M Forest Service said in a statement.
Evacuation warnings have been issued across the northern part of the state, as Randall County Sheriff’s Office advised residents near Lake Tanglewood to evacuate.
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Alanreed is a small town in Texas that only spans about 0.5 square miles
The post office in Alanreed is one of the few businesses in the small town
