Winds carry wildfire across Rio Grande into South Texas

McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) — A wildfire that crossed the Rio Grande from northern Mexico and burned parts of a rural town in South Texas, was still burning out of control Wednesday south of the border, a fire official told Border Report.

Rio Bravo Fire Department Chief Juan C. Gonzalez said the fire skipped the international river on Tuesday afternoon south of Nuevo Laredo, Mexico. The fire burned about 6 acres near the tiny town of El Cenizo, which is about 20 miles south of Laredo in Webb County, Texas.

Fire officials were able to contain the fire and saved a neighboring subdivision and elementary school and public library, he said.

However, the fire on Wednesday continued to burn in desolate Mexican ranchlands south of the border and was now several miles long, Gonzalez said.

“It jumped to the U.S. side and it burned like 5 or 6 acres on the U.S. side. Now the fire is spreading across Mexico. It’s already like 5 miles long,” Gonzalez said.

Gonzalez supplied Border Report with several photos and video images of firefighters battling the blaze on the banks of the Rio Grande.

He said gusts of 15 to 18 mph helped to carry embers across the river where they ignited several different areas of dry brush near Zachary Ranch on the American side.

“We had several fires that had crossed. It’s the winds,” Gonzalez said.

He said crosswinds are often prevalent near the small towns of El Cenizo, population 3,300, and Rio Bravo, population 6,500.

“The embers fly across and start the fires on the U.S. side,” Gonzalez said.

On Wednesday, fire officials were maintaining a vigilant presence on the river’s banks and Gonzalez had just returned from a trip to check on the fire when he spoke to Border Report.

“We stopped it from spreading further,” he said of damage to the U.S. side. “It’s still burning across but hopefully strong winds won’t come and spread the embers.”

On Wednesday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced that he had directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) to activate additional state resources due to the threat of wildfires in the next several days due to high winds and low humidity, particularly in areas west of Interstate 35.

“The State of Texas is elevating its response and increasing resources to address any potential wildfire activity,” said Abbott said. “We thank our firefighters and emergency response personnel who are working around the clock to protect our communities. Texans are encouraged to remain weather-aware and practice wildfire safety diligently through the rest of the week to keep their communities safe.”