Prescribed burn saves Borger from Windy Deuce Fire

BORGER, Texas (KFDA) - The City of Borger conducted a prescribed burn in November of 2023, and the Texas A&M Forest Service says that burn saved Borger from the Windy Deuce Fire.

According to the Texas A&M Forest Service, the controlled burn was conducted in November 2023 by the Borger Fire Department’s Wildland Fire Program.

The prescribed “7-mile Burn”, stretched from Hwy 207 south of Borger along Industrial Blvd to Millner Road.

“Several years ago, myself and another guy, we saw a need around Borger with all the hazardous fuels that we had. That if we didn’t do something, we could potentially lose a lot of homes, especially after the 2006 fire,” said Bob Watson, retired Borger Fire Chief and member of the mitigation crew for the City of Borger.

“We got together and we identified some of the troubled spots around our community and we started mitigating them. And by mitigating them, that can be mowing, it could be herbicides, or it can be fire or it may be just as simple as limbing up the trees so we that can get under them and mow,” said Watson. “We identified probably 14, 15 troubled spots around town and now that’s developed into over 20. And we use one of those methods, whichever one’s the most convenient, for that area. And sometimes, it’s a combination of all of those.”

“Last week, we had a wildfire come through and the piece that we burned earlier in the year is called ‘the landing strip.’ It’s about 250 foot wide and about seven miles long, and the fire skirted it all the way down. It never did get into town. So I think it’s proof that mitigation and fuel breaks, whether they’re dirt, burnt, mowing, whatever that is, around your city is the way to go,” said Watson.