Standoff leads to RV fire, arrests
HENDERSON COUNTY–An attempted traffic stop by Eustace Police where a suspect bailed out of his car and fled on foot led to a standoff situation July 25.
HENDERSON COUNTY–An attempted traffic stop by Eustace Police where a suspect bailed out of his car and fled on foot led to a standoff situation July 25.
GUN BARREL CITY–Residents of Cedar Creek Lake are getting ready to enjoy the upcoming July Fest to be held July 30 at the Gun Barrel City Park. Historically, a firework show is displayed for attendees to enjoy but the recent disaster declaration made by Henderson County has changed the festivals plans.
CEDAR CREEK LAKE–Fire departments everywhere in Texas have been kept busy with worsening drought conditions leading to easily spread wildfires. A piece of glass on the side of the road will assist in igniting a fire that puts homes, businesses and livestock at risk. Mid-July a wildfire that succeeded in burning 100 acres outside Eustace was started by a spark from a chain on a vehicle.
County Judge Wade McKinney signed a declaration Thursday afternoon declaring a Local State of Disaster in Henderson County. The declaration comes because of the extended drought and rash of wildfires the county is experiencing.
The declaration will be in effect for seven days unless it is extended by Commissioners Court.
According to the declaration, Henderson County firefighters have responded to 40 fires just this week and 134 so far in July.
CEDAR CREEK LAKE–The Henderson County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) and the Mabank Police Department participated in a joint investigation that led to the arrest of eight individuals in connection with illegal gaming.
HENDERSON COUNTY–Commissioners’ Court of Henderson County voted July 19 to extend the burn ban it originally enacted June 21. That ban runs through July 21, with the following 30-day ban extending from that time.
County Fire Marshal Shane Renberg reported that the July 18 Keetch-Byram Drought Index, which measures moisture in the soil, shows Henderson County has a region with a county low of 595, a portion at 734 (the highest in the county) and that the index indicates a 695 average across the county.
HENDERSON COUNTY–Henderson County Judge Wade McKinney has been elected first vice president of the North and East Texas County Judges and Commissioners Association, a 74-county subregion of the County Judges and Commissioners Association of Texas (CJCAT).
County officials applauded McKinney as he took his oath of office during the North and East Texas County Judges and Commissioners Association Annual Conference conducted July 11-14 in Denton.
KERENS–Kerens City Council was presented with plans for a manufactured home community during its July 12 meeting.
The proposed Richland Gardens, which would be located on 31 acres in the northeastern part of town, would allow new manufactured homes to be placed on 225 lots that are 3,600 square-feet each, according to the developer, Octa Homes Executive Director Mayer Husain, who is from Houston.
KAUFMAN COUNTY–Kaufman County Judge Hal Richards has issued a disaster declaration July 18 effective immediately. The declaration is due to widespread severe property damage from an almost 500-acre wildfire which continues to burn. To make things worse, high winds have been predicted for next several days which heightens the need for extreme caution.
CEDAR CREEK LAKE–A series of multiple house and wildfires continue to keep the fire departments of Cedar Creek Lake busy during the ongoing triple degree heat. Gun Barrel City Fire Department responded to a structure fire at a residence in the 100 block of Lost Forest Road around 9:49 p.m. July 13.
The first firefighter on the scene reported smoke coming from the attic vents on both sides of the house. A resident of the house was home at the time of the fire along with their dog but were able to escape the fire and call 911.