Local firefighters sent to battle fires
Posted/updated on: March 17, 2026 at 9:17 pm
EAST TEXAS — Several East Texas firefighter crews have been deploy to help respond to wildfires and elevated fire conditions being reported across the state. According to our news partner KETK, Smith County Emergency Services District 2 has deployed a NWCG qualified dozer operator, a dozer operator trainee and a heavy equipment boss trainee to Childress to help fight wildfires there.
The district said this was the first time the Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System (TIFMAS) has been used to deploy their dozer operators. TIFMAS Coordinator Josh Bardwell said their deployment has been years in the making.
“A couple of us former TFS heavy equipment operators that came to the County years ago are proud to see this come to fruition,” Bardwell said. “We retooled the county’s fire dozer training and qualification process to meet state standards years ago and it’s paying off.”
Meanwhile down in Deep East Texas, the Lufkin Fire Department linked up with the Athens Fire Department to head down to Beeville, where they’re facing elevated fire weather.
The Lufkin and Athens units were requested by the Texas Forest Service and will join units from Nacogdoches, Texarkana and Paris to form a strike team to work in the Beeville area.
