News Alert: Dangerous wildfire conditions predicted for Friday

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Critical fire weather conditions are forecast Friday for a large portion of Texas, east of a line from Childress to Midland to Van Horn.

Warm temperatures, dry air and gusty winds are expected. Those dangerous conditions will be made worse by the unrelenting drought that has left an overabundance of dried and dead vegetation in its wake.

“The threat of wildfire is ongoing, and introducing wind into the mix is a cause for concern,” said Tom Spencer, Texas Forest Service Predictive Services department head.

“Fires pose a threat to public safety,” Spencer added. “If a fire starts accidentally in your neighborhood, be on the alert. If they ask you to evacuate, by all means, do it.”

Since wildfire season started on Nov. 15, 2010, firefighters have responded to 23,835 fires that have burned more than 3.8 million acres and destroyed 2,763 homes. Another 34,977 homes have been saved by firefighting efforts.

Search continues for missing mother, son

John Fisher Jr.

Lettie Fisher

LIVINGSTON — The Polk County Sheriff's Office and Texas Ranger Ron Duff are joining the search for a missing Chester woman and her disabled son which was launched Sept. 22 when a park ranger discovered the woman's car at Dam B.
Tyler County Sheriff’s department has been searching for Lettie Fisher, 79, of Chester and her son John Fisher, 31, since Thursday, Sept. 22 when her abandoned grey Toyota 4Runner was discovered by a Park Ranger from the Corp of Engineers. 
The park ranger first noticed the vehicle the previous Monday. 
“It is normal for people to park their vehicles at Dam B while they are fishing,” said Tyler County Sheriff David Hennigan.   The Park Ranger was off work Tuesday and Wednesday and when he returned to work Thursday, the vehicle was still there in the same location. 
The Fishers belongings were in the vehicle, including Mrs. Fisher’s purse.  This is when the Tyler County Sheriff’s Department was notified. 
Fisher’s husband of 42 years, John Fisher, 62, of Chester, was contacted by the Sheriff’s Department.  John explained that his wife and son, John Fisher Jr., age 31, commonly left home for several days at a time and he had not been worried about them.  According to reports, the mother and son would go fishing at Dam B, then travel to Lake Charles, La. to have fun for a few days and spend time with relatives that live in the area.  Then, they would come home.  The Fisher’s son has special needs and wears a prosthetic leg. 
    The search for the pair began with Tyler County Sheriff’s Deputies and the Tyler County Search and Rescue team on the ground in the Bar Pitts vicinity of Dam B at Magnolia Ridge. 
“Soon after the search on foot began, we called in the canine officers from Texas Department of Criminal Justice Gib Lewis unit and the cadaver canines from the Winn Unit of TDCJ on Friday,” said Sheriff David Hennigan.  Also assisting in the search was the National Parks Service.
Several of Mrs. Fisher’s former students from Chester ISD have helped with the search.  Over the weekend, the Texas Department of Public Safety helicopter was brought in to fly over the area. 
“This is one of the most extensive search and rescues I have been involved with in my career,” said Hennigan.  “We brought in the Texas EquuSearch boat with the side sonar and also a team of divers with underwater cameras.”  On Monday, the canines were brought in again to search the area.  At 4:30 p.m. Monday, The Tyler County Sheriff’s department made the decision to refocus their investigation. 
“We have determined that they are not in this location after a five-day search and we are going to have to consider foul play,” said Hennigan.  “I will keep officers at Dam B while we begin to look elsewhere, just in case something turns up in the area where their vehicle was abandoned.”  
Investigators know the pair visited a convenience store in Corrigan on Monday morning Sept. 22 and also the Exxon station at Dam B the same day.  “If anyone has any information on Mrs. Fisher or John Jr., contact the Tyler County Sheriff’s Department,” said Hennigan.
The Fishers also have family members in Polk County, including Chief Deputy Byron Lyons.

Although investigators have no indication of foul play, family members hope that anyone who saw the pair will contact either Tyler Co. investigators, the Polk County Sheriff's Office at 936-327-6810 or Polk County Crime Stoppers at 936-327-7867.

Morrison Drive Fire

Firefighters from the North Dakota Forest Service

 

Reports of smoke in a wooded area in a remote area behind the old Livingston High School campus, Livingston Volunteer Fire Department was able to track the fire to a distribution feeder power line right-of-way located on property owned by Polk County Enterprise Publisher Alvin Holley at 3:42 p.m. Monday. The nine LVFD firefighters were joined by crews from the Texas Forest Service and North Dakota Forest Service. The NDFS crews have been deployed to Texas to assist with this year's record fire season.
The fire was contained to a 1.43 acre area, according to TFS Regional Fire Coordinator Ricky Holbrook. Damage was limited to understory in the wooded area and a deer feeder in the tract located between the old school campus and Morrison Drive.
LVFD Chief Corky Cochran said he believes the fire began when a limb fell across large powerlines in the right-of-way.