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Lamar County Multi- Jurisdictional Hazard Mitigation Plan <br />Chapter Three <br />3. Extent <br />The extent or intensity of a wildfire is dependent on three key elements: <br />Fuels — Lighter fuels such as grasses, leaves, and twigs, burn rapidly, while heavier <br />fuels such a large stump, logs, and green branches take longer to ignite and burn. <br />Weather — Heat and drought ripen vegetation for wildfires. Warm temperatures, low <br />humidity and high winds allow for the quick spreading of emebers and can produce <br />vigorous fire activity. Thunderstorms can actually encourage wildfire development by <br />providing strong changing winds and fire starting lighting. <br />Topography — Lamar County has a gently rolling terrain that actually helps with fire <br />suppression. Steep slopescan increase the spread of a wildfire. Canyons can funnel air <br />and intensify the fire. <br />Dry conditions, high temperatures, low humidity, and high winds can increase the potential and <br />severity of a wildfire. In such conditions wildfires can spread quickly, affecting large areas in a <br />short amount of time. A worst case scenario would be multiple wildfires started simultaneously <br />by lighting during dry thunderstorms that move across an area experiencing drought conditions. <br />This type of fire could burn for days destroying structures and lives. <br />Rural areas in Lamar County experience wild fire. The majority of these occur in the northern <br />and South Western portions of the County. These areas are not highly populated but the <br />population is growing. The Communities in these areas have a slightly higher risk of being <br />affected by wildfire due to their location to these areas. An out of control wildfire fueled by a <br />strong wind could put all jurisdictions in danger. <br />Table 3: 2010 Fire Statistics <br />Source: FMTxfirs2010 <br />4. Previous Occurrences <br />The Texas Wildfires event of 2005 to 2006 ran from November 2005 to April 2006. There were <br />over 11,000 reported fires with nearly 1.3 million acres charred. At least 19 lives were lost and <br />over 400 homes were destroyed. Governor Rick Perry declared the entire state a disaster <br />areas. <br />The Texas Wildfire Event of 2010 -2011 November 15th 2010 until October 31St 2011. There <br />were over 27,900 fires reported with over 3.9 million acres charred. 2,862 homes were <br />120 <br />