North Texas fire crews are preparing for a fire watch and high winds on Friday, encouraging people to take steps to avoid starting a fire. A fire weather watch is in effect Friday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

So far, DFW has not seen any major fires, but the extreme threat continues into Friday afternoon. North Texas fire departments have increased staffing and more tools on hand, responding with more than the typical number of engines.

Fire crews in North Texas are working to control fires caused by high winds and low humidity. Flower Mound Fire Battalion Chief Jacob Ventrca is ensuring the town is prepared, emphasizing situational awareness and mutual aid with other agencies.

Crews who specialize in wildfires and firefighters are working overtime, and Flower Mound has two extra brush trucks out. "To prepare for the fire risk, we have extra wildland personnel on staff today staffing one of our brush trucks so at least we have that apparatus readily available and able to respond quickly for a fire," Ventrca said.

The NWS Fort Worth TX released a red flag warning at 6:50 a.m. on Friday valid between 11 a.m. and 9 p.m. The warning is for Wise, Denton, Collin, Parker, Tarrant, Dallas, Hood, Johnson, Montague, Cooke,

The North Texas region is under critical or extreme fire threats on Friday, according to the National Weather Service. This is the first time parts of the area have seen an extreme fire threat in about 16 years,