Just a few hours after the San Saba County Commissioners Court voted to reinstate the Burn Ban last Monday, August 12th, a fire broke out on FM 500 approximately 10 miles west of Highway 16.
San Saba VFD responded to the call. They used three brush trucks and a military truck.
Commissioner Lebow and his crew from Precinct 1 came out and helped with a maintainer to blade the line to help contain the fire. The Sheriff’s Department was also there assisting. They blocked off FM 500 to traffic due to the smoke and as a precaution in case the fire jumped the road. The fire came right up to the road, but thankfully, the road acted as a break that kept the fire from spreading that direction.
According to the San Saba VFD, 20-30 acres burned. The wind was out of the south to the north. It took about six hours to put out the fire.
After the fire was out, the VFD had to go back out for a couple of hours just as a precaution in case it started back up again.
Cause
The fire appeared to be purely accidental according to the SS VFD representative. It was possibly started by a hay cutting operation and/or cutting grass.
SS VFD Note to the Public: There is a tremendous amount of fuel out there for fires. The rains we had earlier in the year were a blessing, but now the grass and fields are tall and getting more yellow and brown by the day. That equates to a lot of fire fuel.
With the temperatures over 100 degrees for days on end, the dangerous conditions are increasing daily.
Please take extra precaution - be very careful. Always carry water - just in case a fire starts.
Any little thing can start a fire with the conditions out there right now.
• Pulling your car over to the side of the road onto grass can start a fire with the heat from your car.
• A mower hitting a rock can start a fire.
• Safely using heavy equipment can cause the smallest spark which can cause a fire.
• Cutting hay when the humidity is low in the heat of the day can cause a fire.
The most dangerous time is mid-afternoon for these types of outdoor activities.
We are blessed there have not been a lot of fires yet. However, all it takes is just one spark to make a fire - it could be anything
How can we help our VFDs?
Take seriously their warnings about the heat and fire fuel that is out there.
Cases of Gatorade are very helpful in keeping our firefighters hydrated. They will never turn away donations of bottled water and are very appreciative of them. Do not take the donations to active fires. The roads need to be kept clear for our firefighters and other emergency personnel.
Thankfully, our VFD was able to respond very quickly to this fire last week. Our volunteer firefighters are just that - volunteer. They have jobs and families just like everyone else. These volunteers live all over the county, not just in the city close to the firehouse.
When they hear the call, they drop what they are doing, and answer the call to keep us safe.
Thank you, firefighters for all you do to help protect us and our property!