Evacuation warnings in Red Rock upgraded to orders - KOLO | 8 News Now

Initial warnings for areas around Clovis Road and Guava Avenue quickly escalated. Unpredictable winds shifted the plume's trajectory, leading to mandatory evacuation orders. Lubbock Fire Rescue crews secured the perimeter, urging anyone within a half-mile radius to leave immediately. This zone stretched west towards Slide Road. Traffic off North Loop 289 rerouted, causing significant backups across northern routes, including those leading to the Port of Lubbock.

Hundreds of people now must pack up and leave. They live in older subdivisions just south of the park, including homes bordering the Parkway and Guadalupe neighborhoods. Families are gathering at the Patterson Branch Library on 34th Street, quickly set up as a temporary shelter. Others are heading to relatives' homes across town. All businesses along the industrial corridor, essential to Lubbock's economy, sent employees home. Operations halted for the foreseeable future.

Though the immediate danger is contained, this incident shows how quickly a routine workday can become a crisis for hundreds of Lubbockites.