Deputy Sgt. Barbara Fenley.Photo: Eastland Sheriff’s Office
A sheriff’s deputy died on the job Thursday while trying to help Texas residents evacuate the ongoing Eastland Complex fire.
Deputy Sgt. Barbara Fenley, 51, was “going door to door” as “multiple fires erupted throughout Eastland County,” the sheriff’s office said in a statement, perEastland County Today.
She was last heard from while “going to check on an elderly individual.”
“With the extreme deteriorating conditions and low visibility from smoke, Sgt. Fenley ran off the roadway and was engulfed in the fire,” the Eastland County Sheriff’s Office said. “Sgt. Fenley gave her life in the service of others and loved her community.”
“She was a good woman,” Anna Olvera told the outlet. “She loved her community, she loved her job, and she died doing what she liked to do.”
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On Friday, flags in Eastland County were flown at half staff, perCBS Austin.
“The First Lady and I extend our prayers of comfort to the Fenley family during their time of grief, and we urge all Texans to remember and honor Deputy Fenley’s service as a brave and dedicated law enforcement officer,” Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement.
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As of Monday morning, the Eastland Complex fire remains 30% contained and has burned over 54,000 acres, according to theTexas A&M Forest Service. As a result, 147 structures have been damaged.
On Sunday, three new blazes were absorbed into the wildfire, bringing the total to seven active fires. The Kidd Fire, which is the largest, has burned through 42,333 acres and is now 40% contained.
A cause is still unknown.
“Strong winds and critically dry grasses” helped contribute to “extreme fire behavior and rapid rates of spread” since the Eastland Complex fire sparked on Thursday, officials said.
Those factors also played a role in the spread of a number of other wildfires throughout the state. On Monday, officials shared that over the past week, firefighters had responded to 178 wildfires, which burned 108,493 acres.
“The extreme conditions present across the state last week greatly impacted several communities and the Texans that live there,” Wes Moorehead, Texas A&M Forest Service Fire Chief, said in a statement. “These communities endured significant loss and we grieve with you.”
Gov. Abbott issued adisaster declarationon Friday.
source: people.com
