Brush fire burns hundreds of acres in Wise County

About 20 homes in Wise County were threatened by a brush fire that burned out of control on Friday.

The fire scorched some 500 acres near Alvord, about 10 miles northwest of Decatur.

People have been evacuated and several roads were closed. As of Friday night, it's 70 percent contained.

Hopewell Baptist Church served as the command post at the corner of 2931 and Old Decatur Road.

Firefighters say it hasn't been spreading as much though as the evening went on.

There was heavy brush in the area. The fire quickly engulfed trees, which make it difficult for firefighters to set containment lines. They got some help from the air as a helicopter scooped up water from a nearby pond and dropped it down onto the flames.

One spot the fire burned is a salvage yard owned by the Barclay family. FOX 4 spoke to one of the family members about what they saw.

“We came back around 11ish. And as soon as we got home, there was already a fire started to the left side of the house,” said Gage Barclay. “We all got out safe. No one's burned or hurt at all.”

Firefighters aren't aware of any homes being damaged or destroyed. Firefighters say their big effort has been to get the fire contained.

“We're just trying to get a line around the fire to hold it where it can. I know it has jumped the road a few times in several spots,” said Andy NeSmith with the Texas A&M Forest Service. “So they're working as hard as they can to get a line around it and hold it.”

A lot of resources have poured from all over to fight the fire. The heat was an issue so firefighters took breaks before going back at it.

At least two firefighters have been injured fighting the Barclay Fire. One got heat exhaustion. The other firefighter hurt their leg when he fell off a truck. Both were transported.

Crews continue to work late into Friday night to get a hold of the fire.