By CHRIS AGEE | cagee@mineralwellsindex.com
Filling the shoes left by the late Steve Perdue, Buddy Harwell faced his first major challenge as Palo Pinto County fire marshal with the two large wildfires that began earlier this month.
With 20 years of experience in the fire service, Harwell accepted his current position in February, about two months after Perdue’s death from pancreatic cancer.
The two wildfires, both reportedly caused by lightning strikes, burned for more than a week and scorched about 3,750 acres.
Harwell said the effort to contain the blazes, known as the Rhodes Ranch II and Dark Valley fires, was successful because of the dedication of personnel and volunteers.
“It’s been good,” he said. “At one time or another, we had every department on one or the other fire.”
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