A Texas sheriff’s deputy has died during wildfires in Eastland County, local police confirmed Friday.
In a Facebook post, the Cisco Police Department said Barbara Fenley, a deputy with the Eastland County Sheriff’s Office, died Thursday night. Fenley “put it all on the line last night trying to save people from the horrible fires,” the post read.
Further details about Fenley’s death were not immediately available.
“She was a special servant and an attribute to our profession. We will kneel in prayer for her family, friends and colleagues as they mourn. RIP dear friend, you will be missed,” the police department’s post read.
“I just want people to know how good of a person she was, literally always putting everyone first before herself. She was an Eastland County Sheriff’s deputy and she loved her county and the Town of Gorman,” Fenley’s son, Jon Fenley, said in a message to NBC 5.
NBC 5 has reached out to the Eastland County Sheriff’s Office for further information.
Low humidity and gusty winds added fuel to what is known as the Eastland Complex of wildfires centered in Eastland County, about 100 miles west of Fort Worth. The fires have so far burned dozens of structures and forced evacuations of homes in small communities.
As of Friday morning, the Eastland Complex wildfire had burned about 62.5 square miles and was only 4% contained, according to Texas A&M Forest Service.
Fenley is the only confirmed death in the aftermath of the Eastland County wildfires, local NBC station KTAB reported. No other injuries have been reported.
This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser.
