Posted: Mon, 18 Apr 2011 04:15 PM - 9,282 Readers
By: Isadora Vail
Fed by gusting winds, a wildfire roared into residential streets in Oak Hill on Sunday afternoon, destroying eight houses, damaging another 10 and forcing hundreds of people from their homes before the blaze was subdued by dozens of firefighters aided by Texas Forest Service planes.
Fire officials said late Sunday that one person was charged with a state jail felony. The suspect, whose name was not released, was booked into the Travis County Jail with bail set at $50,000.
The first call came into the Austin Fire Department about 1:30 p.m. A caller reported seeing a small brush fire behind a convenience store at U.S. 290 and RM 1826, Battalion Chief Palmer Buck said. Within minutes, several fire engines were on the scene, and by 2 p.m. the first house had caught fire, he said.
Another 20 minutes passed before crews on the scene increased the alarm and called for more help, Buck said.
By 4 p.m., fire officials said the fire had spread to about 100 acres and police had closed the busy "Y" intersection - where U.S. 290 and Texas 71 split - and rerouted traffic.
Late Sunday, fire officials said that the fire was 90 percent contained and that firefighters would remain in the area overnight to extinguish the remaining flames and watch for flare-ups. Fire officials said 150 homes remained threatened Sunday night.
photography by Jay JannerNo injuries were reported, and the cause of the fire was being sought by arson investigators. About 200 residents were evacuated from their homes in the hilly and heavily wooded subdivision on Austin's southwestern edge. Many were not allowed to return to their homes Sunday night.
About 100 firefighters and 30 fire trucks from five agencies responded to the fire, aided by two helicopters and a pair of Texas Forest Service C-130 airplanes that dropped red-tinted fire retardant on the area - the type of tactics used on West Texas wildfires for the past week.
Some of the firefighters working the Oak Hill blaze returned from battling those West Texas fires Saturday night.
"This is the first time in a very long time that I've seen a fire like this in Central Texas," Buck said. "This is the type of fire that's been in West Texas; however, this is more severe because it's a heavily populated area and not ranchland."
With temperatures in the upper 80s, winds gusting up to 40 miles per hour, and the humidity hovering around 22 percent, conditions were favorable for fire. Like much of the state, Central Texas began the spring in a severe drought.
"It doesn't look good, going into the season, to already have a fire this size, without any rain in sight," said Chris Morris, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
Travis County was under an "elevated fire day" Sunday, according to the weather service, warning officials that conditions are dry and fires could be difficult to contain.
Georgia York, who lives on Callbram Lane, said she was shocked at how quickly the fire escalated.
"I was inside my house enjoying the nice breeze with my windows open when I smelled smoke," York said. "The fire wasn't any bigger than a house, but before I knew it there were flames rising in the brush."
York said she started to worry when ash began to fall from the sky. Her neighbors gathered in the street to watch the rapidly growing fire and wait for an official word on what they should do.
Austin-Travis County Emergency Medical Services used reverse 911 and Austin police went door to door to warn nearby residents of the blaze, according to EMS and police officials.
Jeff Robinson was taking a nap when police knocked on his door near Scenic Brook Drive, the area officials said bore the brunt of the fire. He quickly joined other neighbors scrambling to pack their cars with children, pets and belongings before evacuating the area."We don't know what state our home is in," said Robinson, who was among those staying at Southwest Hills Community Church on Sunday night. "We just grabbed things that we could, like our phones, important paperwork, a safe and some pictures. That's it."
At the church, which is across the street from the scene of the fire, the Red Cross set up an emergency shelter shortly after people were evacuated. The 50 volunteers outnumbered the roughly 35 people who sought shelter.
Janie Hill, whose husband is lead pastor of the church, said the church was prepared to provide overnight shelter .
Thad Rosenfeld, the Red Cross community resources director, said a six-person crew was sent to provide shelter, food, clothing and medical help.
Mayor Lee Leffingwell said he'd never seen a fire this large in Austin.
"What we don't need is another fire like this," Leffingwell said. "The conditions are conducive to wildfires and please, make sure you aren't responsible."
He reiterated what officials have warned Central Texas about for years: Follow burn bans, be aware of red flag warnings and don't discard a lit cigarette.
Firefighters across the state have been battling wildfires for weeks, and Gov. Rick Perry on Sunday appealed to President Barack Obama to declare the state a major disaster area, as fires have struck or threaten all but two of the state's 254 counties.
In a letter dispatched Saturday afternoon, Perry's office said more than 7,800 fires across the state have charred more than 1.5 million acres - about 2,400 square miles - while burning 244 homes and threatening more than 8,500 others. A "major disaster declaration" would make the state eligible for help responding to and recovering from the emergency.
In Coke County, about 30 miles north of San Angelo, firefighters struggled to save the towns of Robert Lee and Bronte from a fire that threatened to engulf them.
A complex of wildfires 70 to 80 miles west of Fort Worth near Possum Kingdom Reservoir had burned about 32,000 acres and destroyed an undetermined number of homes Sunday, Texas Forest Service spokesman Marq Webb said.
Evacuation orders were lifted around sunset Sunday for the towns of Strawn and Caddo. However, Palo Pinto County Judge David Nicklas said such orders remained Sunday night for areas east and south of Possum Kingdom Reservoir .
Texas Forest Service spokeswoman Victoria Koenig said Sunday that the toll of 31 homes destroyed by the Palo Pinto fires as of Saturday night may climb by more than 20.
A nearly 120,000-acre fire - started more than a week ago by a welder's torch - in Stonewall, Knox and King counties had been 90 percent contained by Sunday morning, and a 152,000-acre fire spanning parts of Kent, Fisher, Scurry and Stonewall counties was 50 percent contained, the Forest Service said.
In Eastland, about 55 miles east of Abilene, a volunteer firefighter apparently died Friday after being struck by a vehicle after he fled a fire truck that was trapped in a wildfire-consumed pasture, a state trooper said Sunday.
Eastland volunteer firefighter Greg Simmons was found on a rural roadside, but investigators are not yet sure if he was hit by a fire truck or car as a 3,000-acre raging fire caused thick, black smoke, senior state trooper Phillip "Sparky" Dean told The Associated Press on Sunday.
Additional material from staff writer Ricardo Gándara and The Associated Press
How to helpThe Red Cross is assisting victims of the fire. People wishing to donate to those affected by the fire can go to
www.centex.redcross.org and select an option to give. Specify ‘Texas wildfires' if you send in a check or talk to a representative about using a credit card.
