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Fireworks, dry conditions lead to surge of area fires
Dry conditions, gusty winds and some New Year’s Eve fireworks have kept many Central Texas firefighters busy in the last couple of days, according to officials.
Marble Falls Area Volunteer Fire Department Chief Terry White said his department responded to a fire call as the new year rolled in about midnight at a ranch on FM 2147. Fireworks had engulfed about 16 hay bales that were within about 20 feet of a house, White said.
Firefighters were able to control the flames and keep the house from burning, he said.
White said departments around Burnet County have received a surge of calls in recent days for fires. Residents reporting their neighbors’ controlled burns, which are illegal under the county’s burn ban, made some of the calls, White said. Brush fires accounted for others, he said.
White said there were no injuries sustained from the hay bale fire. Other area fire officials reached by the American-Statesman Saturday also said they knew of no injuries from the fires.
In the Elgin area, firefighters have responded to a dozen brush fires today and yesterday, an unusually high number, said Elgin Police dispatcher Terry Nelson.
Nelson said several of the fires were controlled burns that had gotten out of hand. She said part of the area she dispatches for is in Travis County, which has temporarily banned the outdoor burning of brush, and part is in Bastrop County, which is not under a burn ban.
Buda Fire Department Captain Ralph Rodriguez said there have been about a dozen brush fires in Hays County in the last couple of days, including three or four in Buda.
He said that is a higher than usual number brought upon by dry conditions and possible fireworks.
“The humidity down and the wind gusting the way it does, the fires just kind of takes off,” Rodriguez said.
He said the Buda department responded at about 10:30 a.m. to a brush fire covering about an acre of farmland on Hillside Terrace. Firefighters were able to control the fire, whose origin could not be determined, and keep it from engulfing houses across the street.
