Bastrop, Tx–The wildfire disaster which local emergency responders and disaster response planners have been bracing for now for many months hit without warning about noon Saturday when a downed electric power line sparked a raging fire in the Alum Creek area north of Texas 71. The blaze was fed by extremely dry conditions in the Lost Pines area and fanned by north winds approaching 40 miles per hour during the day.
So far only minor injuries have been reported, but an estimated 25 residences, nine businesses and an unknown number of livestock are listed as casualties. By late Sunday afternoon a county spokesperson said the fire had been contained south of Texas 71 after having burned over at least 650 acres, a number expected to grow as a result of new overnight review of new field reports.
A series of shelters were opened Saturday afternoon to house residents forced from homes in the heavily wooded area. As many as 200 homes were threatened and many residents evacuated ahead of the raging flames. The Smithville Recreation Center sheltered some overnight guests with assistance from Red Cross and Salvation Army volunteers, said Gayle Wilhelm, an assistant to County Judge Ronnie McDonald who was also acting as public information officer for the Incident Command Center near Texas 71 and Alum Creek.
By midafternoon Saturday, Judge McDonald had signed an emergency disaster declaration so local officials could request state and federal assistance. Later in the afternoon Texas National Guard aircraft, including helicopters and fixed wing planes, were scooping water from the Colorado River and nearby stock ponds to drop on the flames in an effort to slow the advance of the fast-moving fire.
In areas, chiefly north of Texas 71 where the fire was most intense, firefighters remained on duty overnight Sunday because of hot spots which might erupt and pose new dangers, said Wilhelm. From 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday some of those forced from their homes earlier were allowed to re-enter the area to check for damage and possibly rescue some personal possessions. In general the situation remained too dangerous to allow most of those affected to occupy their homes overnight, said Wilhelm.
At the same time, she suggested that the worst of the crisis appears to be in the past. The temporary emergency operations center will be relocated by Monday to the Grady Tuck Building on Loop 150 West in Bastrop, said Wilhelm.
All of Bastrop County’s fire departments were involved in the response Saturday and Sunday along with units from adjoining Williamson and Fayette County as well as state and other agencies, including the National Guard and the Texas Forest Service. Wilhelm said she did not have a full list of responding agencies on Sunday afternoon.
A Bluebonnet Electric Co-operative spokesman said the blaze was apparently sparked when a coop power line went down under the impact of a 60-foot-tall tree falling across a 30-foot-wide easement in a wooded area. When a repair crew arrived about 30 minutes after the first report, the resulting wildfire was already out of control.