Pine fire burning near Gorman

More than 150 acres were burned as a brush fire spread just south of Gorman near Quail Lake.

The fire was reported around 1:19 p.m. and was about 35 percent contained at 4:45 this afternoon. Officials said that unseasonably dry conditions are what caused the fire to spread so quickly.

More than 250 firefighters were on scene along with two “super-scooper” planes and two water dropping helicopters to battle the blaze. They were able to knock down the large flames within the first couple of hours. With Quail Lake being so close by, it only took a couple minutes for the planes and helicopters to fill up with water and release it over the fire.

Some structures were initially threatened but “structure protection” groups were sent in right away, causing no need for any evacuations.

Fire fighting efforts are expected to continue into tomorrow afternoon. The cause of the fire is still under investigation.