Residents of a rural community in southern Texas were ordered to evacuate as firefighters battle a blaze

Dense smoke engulfs rural community in southern region texas Many residents were ordered to evacuate as firefighters worked to contain the blaze Wednesday evening, officials said.

Mill fire in Gregory, Texas, about 150 miles (80.5 kilometers) to the southeast. st anthonyThe fire had grown to 15 acres and authorities had taken control of about 50% of it, according to Texas A&M Forest Service spokeswoman Heather Gonzales.

Residents in the north end of the city were ordered to evacuate and set up a shelter at a nearby community center. No injuries were reported and due to heavy smoke, which was causing low visibility, officials were not able to provide information about the burned structures.

“There is heavy smoke in the area that could pose a health hazard,” Gonzales said. “So we want to advise people to leave the area and get away from there.”

The weather on Wednesday created perfect conditions for the fire to spread rapidly, he said, with very dry air and wind speeds between 15 mph (24.1 kph) to 30 mph (48.3 kph) in the area. But by evening the fire stopped spreading and the weather is expected to improve in the next few days.

He said it was not immediately clear how the fire started Wednesday afternoon and authorities were continuing the investigation.

“Ground crews are working to patrol the area and take care of any hot spots,” Gonzales said.

CenterPoint Energy, a major utility provider, temporarily shut off natural gas service to the city as a precaution, according to a post from the city. Facebook Page.