JUST IN: The #RankinRanchRoadFire has now burned 40,000 acres. The fire is only 10 percent contained.
NC10: t.co/VlRTYC9f4s
Over 60,000 acres has burned so far in the Rankin Ranch Road Fire in northern Texas.
The Texas A&M Forest Service announced the update on Twitter late Thursday night.
The fire started in the afternoon Thursday in Roberts County, near Miami. As of late Thursday night, about 10 percent of it was contained. Reports say there are three homes that are currently being threatened by the blaze.
Incident Update: #RankinRanchRoadFire is now est. 20,000 with very active fire behavior. Burning in Roberts and now Ochiltree Counties.
At around 9:40 p.m. EST, the growing blaze moved into Ochiltree County, and residents in its path were evacuated. But much-needed rainfall in the area helped crews contain the flames, and its behavior has since dropped to smoldering.
In response, the forest service dispatched an air tanker to try and tame the giant forest fire.
As of the 2010 U.S. census, Roberts County’s reported population was 929. It’s located about 80 miles northeast of Amarillo, Texas.
Amazing photos and videos of the massive blaze have started to filter in. Here are some of them from the scene:
The Blaze Overtook the Horizon in Rural Texas & The Smoke Made It Difficult to See
#RankinRanchRoadFire: Highway 70 from FM 282 in Roberts Co. to FM 281 in Ochiltree Co. is now closed.
NC10: t.co/BhdsxssT80
Smoke From the Fire Showed Up on Radar Ahead of Storms
The Glow From Flames Could Be Seen From Far Away
The glow from my front porch on Hackberry from the Roberts County fire #prayersforthepanhandle
This post will be updated.