Two firefighters injured in Quay County fires

QUAY COUNTY —Two Nara Visa volunteer firefighters were transported to hospitals in Amarillo and Lubbock on Wednesday after suffering burns while attempting to extinguish a fire south of Obar.

The identity and conditions of the firefighters were not released.

Nara Visa Fire Chief Gary Girard said the firefighters were injured while the Nara Visa, Rosebud and Logan fire departments fought five fires south of Obar. He said the fires were fueled by dry grass and spread quickly with wind gusts of 40 mph.

Several departments in Quay County were combating fires in different portions of the county throughout Wednesday night.

Girard said at one point, three of the fires combined into one large fire. He said one unit reported the fire spread across the Texas border.

Girard said the amount of acreage burned in the fire is not known, but it took the three departments more than 10 hours to contain and extinguish.

Girard said there is never a good time for a fire to strike, but Wednesday’s fire was reported at the same time units were being dispatched to assist with a fire in Hartley County, Texas, near Romero.

At 6:09 p.m. Wednesday, a fire was reported near Bard-Endee with Porter, Bard-Endee and San Jon fire departments responding to the call.

It took three crews four hours to contain the fire, said Bard-Endee Firefighter Don McCoy, who said the cause of the Wednesday fires was lightning.

The largest fire reported was near the Caprock south of Tucumcari off of New Mexico 209. Firefighters from Quay Rural 1 and Rural 2 fought the fire from 1:03 p.m. Wednesday to 1:07 a.m., Thursday.

The fire burned more than 350 acres said John Hinze, Rural 1 fire chief.