RUSK COUNTY, Texas — Officials say a 100-acre fire in Rusk County is 75% contained Monday evening.
According to the Rusk County Fire Marshal Patrick Dooley, multiple fire departments are battling a large fire on County Road 324.
The Texas A&M Forest Services said as of 8 p.m. the fire is 75% contained.
As of 10 p.m. Monday, the fire departments have cleared out for the night. Crews from Texas A&M Forest Service will monitor and complete containment lines around the fire.
Smoke will be there when fire is inside the containment line, which will be up to a week. No evacuations have been ordered.
The agency asked people to avoid the area as aircraft operations are ongoing and don't pass barricades. Both County Roads 324 and 326 are closed.
Aerial resources and resources from the National Weather Service in Shreveport, have been called to assess the fire, officials said.
Support on the ground and in the air was needed Monday afternoon.
According to Dooley, the call came in around 3 p.m. about a small fire in a ditch. That fire quickly crew to 100 acres. Surrounding fire departments responded initially, but the fire spread so fast that backup was needed.
"The forest service arrived on scene. Once they did, they brought dozers out to help plow lines and then made the decision to order up air resources," Dooley said.
A surveillance plane got bird's eye view of the fire to keep troops on the ground updated in addition to two scooper airplanes. Some of these resources are stationed in East Texas from neighboring states.
"We’ll bring aircrafts when conditions are like this," said Sean Dugan, spokesperson for the Texas A&M Forest Service.
"This (the helicopter) actually puts out the fire and that’s what we need. Copious amounts of water is what puts the big fires out," Dooley said.
The helicopter can carry over 500 pounds of water as it made multiple trips to and from the fire.
"It helps us a whole lot because it gets us into area that we’re not able to get to just as quickly as everything else is," Dooley said.
While crews were out combating the flames, the hot and dry weather was an obstacle.
"They’re taking lots of breaks. We’re not putting them (firefighters) in anything that’s going to get them into a bind. Making sure they stay hydrated," Dooley said.
The fire departments battling the fire include Henderson FD, Church Hill VFD, Crims Chapel VFD, Carlisle VFD, Tatum VFD, Texas A&M Forest Service, Rusk County Sheriff’s Office, Rusk County Precinct 2 and Rusk County Fire Marshal and Emergency Management team.
CBS19 will update this article with more information as it becomes available.