Central Texas wildfire prompts evacuations after wind-driven blaze explodes to 400 acres

BASTROP, Texas – A wind-whipped wildfire exploded in size on Sunday, burning more than 400 acres east of Austin, Texas, and promoting evacuations.

The Hudson Fire in Central Texas started Sunday afternoon in Bastrop County along Highway 71. Officials told FOX 7 Austin that it started from a structure fire. 

According to the Texas A&M Forest Service, gusty winds over 25 mph pushed the fire across a road and into open fields. By Monday afternoon, the Hudson Fire had burned an estimated 400 acres and was 50% contained. 

Bastrop County Office of Emergency Management said roads at Alum Creek and Park Road 1C, Cottletown and Park Road IC remain closed. Residents in those areas were evacuated on Sunday.

The Texas A&M Forest Service said the fire had been showing "low fire behavior." The forecast improved on Monday, with higher humidity, around 60%, helping reduce fire activity. 

Central Texas will experience unseasonably warm temperatures this week before a cold front moves in, bringing the threat of severe thunderstorms to the central U.S. The high temperature on Monday for Austin is projected to be around 84 degrees. 

Dry vegetation, winds and low humidity have driven extreme fire weather in recent weeks in the Central Plains and Northeast. 

According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, Bastrop County is experiencing severe drought conditions. Neighboring Travis County is listed as extreme drought, the second-worst condition on the U.S. Drought Monitor's five-level scale.