Fires break out in the borderland

Large plumes of black smoke filled the air in central El Paso Sunday afternoon.

The fire broke out at a water treatment plant near the intersection of Delta Drive and Boone Street. A spokeswoman said air filtering equipment caught fire, and was extinguished.

Only a few hours later, fire crews in Montana Vista started battling flames at a house fire. A Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman said a family of four was displaced from the fire, though they were not in the home.

Both fires erupted during unusually hot and dry weather conditions across the borderland. Wind speeds are expected to pick up on Monday, prompting the National Weather Service to issue an urgent weather message.

NWS advises these are critical fire weather conditions with extreme dryness on Sunday. The service states that any fires are likely to spread quickly.

Watch ABC-7 at 10 for the latest updates.