Texas

‘Extreme fire danger’ in Texas this week: Track potential fires, smoke on this wildfire map

Published

1 year ago

March 3, 2025

‘Extreme fire danger’ in Texas this week: Track potential fires, smoke on this wildfire map

High winds and dry conditions have significantly heightened the fire risk across Texas, prompting officials to warn of “extreme fire danger” in West Texas, stretching from the Big Bend region through the Permian Basin and north to the South Plains.

The National Weather Service cautions that strong winds, low humidity, and warm temperatures could create “critical fire weather conditions” in southern New Mexico and far West Texas, increasing the wildfire threat Monday.

As of Monday morning, a red flag warning covered most of West Texas, including Lubbock, Odessa, and San Angelo, extending west to Hudspeth County. Meanwhile, fire risks in Central and North Texas had temporarily eased.

However, elevated fire danger is expected to return Tuesday, with “very high” to “extreme” risk— the highest of five levels — projected across at least 200 of Texas’ 254 counties, according to a map from the Texas A&M Forest Service.

The NWS forecasts 25 to 40 mph winds, with gusts up to 60 mph, and humidity dropping as low as 6%. While winds are expected to weaken Tuesday, fire risk still remains high, and strong gusts could return later in the week.

Wildfire map: Track potential fires and smoke in Texas

What is a Fire Weather Watch vs. Red Flag Warning?

A Fire Weather Watch or Red Flag Warning is issued when the combination of dry fuels and weather conditions supports extreme fire danger, according to the National Weather Service.

Each NWS office creates local criteria for fire weather watches and red flag warnings.

The key differences are that:

A Fire Weather Watch is issued up to 72 hours before the above conditions are expected to occur.
A Red Flag Warning is issued when the conditions above are expected to occur or are occurring within the next 24 hours.

Texas wildfire risk near you: Search by address

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Texas

Texas officials monitoring two residents who were on board ship with hantavirus outbreak

Published

4 hours ago

May 7, 2026

Press Room

Texas officials monitoring two residents who were on board ship with hantavirus outbreak

AUSTIN, Texas (KBTX) – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has notified the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) that two Texas residents were passengers on the MV Hondius, a ship that experienced an outbreak of hantavirus while traveling in the Atlantic Ocean. The passengers left the ship and returned to the United States before the outbreak was identified.

“Public health workers in Texas have reached the two individuals, and they report they are not experiencing any symptoms and did not have any contact with a sick person while aboard the ship. They have agreed to monitor themselves for symptoms with daily temperature checks and contact public health officials at any sign of a possible illness,” the agency said on Thursday in a statement.

DSHS will not release additional personal details about the passengers to protect their privacy.

“This is not the next COVID, but it is a serious infectious disease,” said Maria Van Kerkhove, director of epidemic and pandemic preparedness at the World Health Organization. “Most people will never be exposed to this.”

More than two dozen people from at least 12 different countries left the ship without contact tracing nearly two weeks after the first passenger died on board.

Health authorities on at least four continents are now tracking down and in some cases monitoring the cruise passengers who disembarked on April 24, and trying to trace others who may have come into contact with them since then.

That includes two people in Georgia who are also being monitored, according to our affiliate WTOC.

Hantaviruses are usually spread through contact with wild rodent droppings or urine. The strain in the Hondius outbreak, Andes virus, can spread from person to person in limited circumstances. It typically requires close, prolonged contact with a person who is actively sick with the disease.

It is not known to spread through casual contact such as shaking hands or being in the same room for a few minutes. There have been no documented cases where a person without symptoms spread it to someone else.

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Texas

Judge orders DHS to release Maine teen from Texas facility

Published

16 hours ago

May 7, 2026

Press Room

Judge orders DHS to release Maine teen from Texas facility

PORTLAND (WGME) – A Portland woman who has been held in a Texas ICE facility for more than six months is reportedly set to be released by Friday.

That’s according to Maine Congresswoman Chellie Pingree, who traveled to the facility this week to demand that ICE release 19-year-old Olivia Andre.

Pingree says a federal district court judge ordered Andre to be released no later than Friday.

Andre and her family were arrested by ICE when they were seeking asylum in Canada.

DHS previously said Andre is in the United States illegally but didn’t explain why the rest of her family was released and she wasn’t.

Pingree called the conditions at the facility inhumane, and Andre’s lawyer says her physical and mental wellbeing deteriorated from not having access to clean drinking water, palatable food and appropriate medical care.

“Olivia and her family should never have been detained. The federal court ordered her release because the Trump administration had no lawful basis for detaining her,” Pingree said. “She suffered in detention for six months in violation of federal law and the U.S. Constitution’s protections.”

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