Congressman comes to area; Rock House Fire 70% contained

Marfa Volunteer Fire Department Chief Gary Mitschke on Sunday morning in front of the fire station gave U.S. Rep. Francisco Canseco an update on the massive fire that raged from Marfa past Fort Davis last week.

The San Antonio freshman Republican congressman who represents Far West Texas in Washington said he came to gain first-hand knowledge of the conflagration.

Meanwhile, the Texas Forest Service reports the wildfire, which it has named the Rock House Fire, was 70 percent contained and had consumed 165,000 acres as of Saturday evening.

Also in attendance at the quickly arranged meeting were Presidio County Commissioners Felipe Cordero and Buddy Knight.

Mitschke told the congressman the fire began west of town last Saturday afternoon and other than losing the house where the fire began, a ranch barn north of town, and lots of grassy pasture, Marfa and Presidio County had mostly been spared. The bulk of the damage occurred in Fort Davis, where as many as 30 homes were destroyed.

Mitschke, who also is the county’s emergency management coordinator, told Canseco that Marfa’s volunteer firefighting force responded professionally to blaze, as they do in all fires.

Volunteer firefighters can be as good as paid firefighters, the congressman said to Mitschke, who agreed, noting that both sets of firefighters get the same training at the Texas A&M firefighting school in College Station.

Canseco got a quick tour of the fire station and the department’s equipment, some of which is in need of repair. He stood in front of a water truck, the one with balding tires and no headlights.

After that brief orientation, officials jumped in the fire chief’s vehicle to visit the ignition point of the fire and then north of town where the fire swept last week.

The congressman was expected to meet with Jeff Davis County officials and Fort Davis firefighters on Sunday afternoon.