HUNTSVILLE, Texas — A statement from the Walker County Office of Emergency Management on July 19, stated that the Nelson Creek Fire was 80% contained, although crews would likely remain on the scene until the following week to monitor the situation..
The Nelson Creek Fire broke out north of Huntsville earlier in the week. Nearly fifteen crews responded to battle the blaze. There were more than 1800 acres burned in mainly wooded areas of the county during the fire. Butch Davis, Walker County's Emergency Management Coordinator, said this fire reminded him of the 2011 fires.
“It was kind of a flashback to 2011, when we burned about 6,000 acres here in Walker County,” said Davis.
A firefighter was transported for medical care after experiencing heat exhaustion in the field due to the fire, according to Davis. Later, the firefighter was released from custody.
Davis noted that their office has previously assisted with wildfires, and that multiple first responders and the Texas A&M Forest Service assisted them in battling the wildfire this week.
“Depending on how the fire behavior is, they will be monitoring it until probably next week,” said Davis.
Davis said the cause of the fire has not yet been identified.