PORT ARTHUR, Texas — Firefighters are dealing with some remaining hotspots Friday that are left over from a pair of marsh fires that started Thursday afternoon in south Jefferson County.
Port Arthur firefighters along with firefighters from a few other departments began dealing with the hotspots Friday morning in an effort to keep them from flaring back up according to Port Arthur Fire Chief Greg Benson.
Port Arthur firefighters will be getting some help from brush trucks and tenders brought in by a few other fire departments Benson said.
They're taking action to mitigate any smoke issues he said
Multiple agencies fought the two fires beginning Thursday afternoon south of Highway 73.
These two fires are near the location of the 11,000-acre "H&H" marsh fire that burned in south Jefferson County for more than two weeks.
The first fire was reported around 3:40 p.m. at 1998 Hwy 73, near the GT OmniPort Terminal, according to Port Arthur Fire Chief Greg Benson.
The second fire was reported at 4:50 p.m. near the Veolia North America Treatment Complex
Benson says the Port Arthur Fire Department, Jefferson County ESD#4, the Hamshire Volunteer Fire Department and Orange County ESD #1 responded to the fires.
The Jefferson County Sheriff's office warns drivers of the smoke limiting visibility to about 3/4 of a mile on Highway 73 from just east of Veolia to the landfill.
At this time, Highway 73 is open to traffic.
The H&H Fire caused lots of problems over several days when the weather changed and kept the smoke hanging around low to the ground throughout the mornings.
The H & H Fire burned deep in the marsh west of Port Arthur and south of Texas Highway 73.
The fire consisted of two separate fires called the North Fire and the South Fire according to Texas A&M Forest Service Public Information Officer, Matthew Ford.
The North Fire was estimated to be around 10,000 acres and started on Oct. 14, 2023. The South Fire was around 1,200 acres and had been burning since Oct. 22, 2023, according to Ford.
On Oct. 19, 2023 the "perfect storm" of weather factors came together to keep a layer of smoke and fog hugging the ground and floating across Texas Highway 73.
Drivers along Texas 73 near Port Acres found themselves driving into a cloud of smoke and fog with low to zero visibility.
Port Arthur Fire Department , Texas A&M Forest Service, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Jefferson County Emergency Service District 3 and Hamshire Volunteer Fire Department responded to the H&H Fire.
The biggest challenge for the firefighters was wet and muddy marsh terrain. They weren't able to us their normal equipment like bulldozers.
Instead, they used Marsh Masters. These are pieces of equipment that are like brush trucks except they have a smaller engine. Marsh Masters have tracks and rubber wheels, which allow firefighters to travel through the marsh according to Ford.