RUNAWAY BAY, Texas — Crews in Wise County are battling a large grass fire that led to some evacuations on Wednesday afternoon.
The fire is happening near Runaway Bay and is 55% contained as of 7:22 p.m.
The Wise County Office of Emergency Management initially posted a map of an evacuation area that was threatened by the fire. Residents south of U.S. 380 between Cimmarron Trail and Runaway Bay Drive were told to avoid the area.
Just before 8:30 p.m., the emergency department said residents in that evacuation area were allowed to return home.
Herman White, the mayor for the city of Runaway Bay, worried winds would pick up late in the evening, increasing the fire's threat.
"It’s so dry. If you were to just put a spark here, it would go immediately and burn everything around it," White said.
According to Texas A&M Forest Service spokesperson Adam Turner, the threat of fire activity in Wise County was in the "very high" level Wednesday afternoon.
"It’s very likely that any fire that starts can get quite large, quite rapidly," Turner said. "The less fires that start, the more resources than can be utilized across the state."
Patrols will continue to watch containment lines and monitor the fire conditions, according to the department.