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Early on, the flames were very high, and the black smoke could be seen for many miles away. In this picture, you see the empty plastic stroage bins that would soon be completely destroyed by the fire. Photo courtesy of Eduardio Hilario -
This photo shows that even though you can no longer see any signs of the plastic structures, the fire is still going strong. Courtesy of Wyatt Deans, County Liason Officer -
The aftermath
Thursday afternoon, August 17, 2023, the city of San Saba was scrambling. The San Saba Volunteer Fire Department was called to a fire on West Wallace Street. Shortly thereafter, several other VFDs were called in to help. News outlets as far as Waco, Austin, San Angelo reported on the fire on Thursday.
San Saba News & Star tries to keep our information consistent with the reports from the First Responders and law officials. Anything you hear on Facebook, even those claiming to be news oriented, my be giving incorrect information. It is best to go to the source to get your information.
There were many stories whirling around town. Everywhere you went, folks were talking about it. Some with scanners would post what they heard on social media. However, the information we hear on the scanner is only part of the information. Passing it along can sometimes cause more harm than good. Repeating the many stories here would just feed the flame of supposition going around. During an event like this, information is constantly changing and being updated.
Most of you remember September 11, 2001. We were all glued to the television or radio for hours … and hours … and hours - because the information kept changing.
Here is the information as it came to us from the First Responders:
Massive fire at Chase Pecan San Saba VFD 08-17-2023
The San Saba Volunteer Fire Department received an “all hands” call for a massive fire at Chase Pecan’s storage yard, where stacked pecan bins caught fire and quickly spread into the pasture of a neighboring home.
Heavy black smoke could be seen from miles away as the fire raged, and firefighters from all county departments and several others from surrounding counties responded quickly to contain the blaze.
No structures, including neighboring homes were damaged. One firefighter suffered from heat exhaustion but remained on scene and is okay.
Large Fire Reported - San Saba Police Department 08-17-2023
On August 17, 2023 at approximately 2:15 p.m., San Saba Police and Sheriff’s Office personnel responded to a large structure fire in the 2700 block of West Wallace Street (US 190).
Upon officers’ arrival, they discovered a fire had started in a large grassy area along West Wallace Street (US 190). Following a preliminary investigation, the cause of the fire is unknown but no signs of foul play were discovered. No structures were damaged during this incident.
The San Saba Fire Department and several other agencies responded to help extinguish the blaze. Fire personnel had it contained by 4:00 p.m. and successfully prevented serious damage to the area and kept the fire from spreading to nearby properties.
“We are still investigating the cause of the fire, but would like to thank the surrounding agencies who assisted the San Saba Fire Department to contain the large fire. We’d also like to urge the public to avoid this location until further notice as personnel will be on scene for an undetermined period of time.” San Saba Police Chief John Bauer.
This investigation, by the San Saba Police Department, remains on-going.
Disaster Averted - San Saba VFD 08-22-2023
San Saba volunteer firefighters responded to an urgent “all hands” notification about a fire at Chase Pecan’s storage facility on Thursday afternoon, August 17th. Heavy black smoke could be seen for miles as a fire raged at the Chase yard on the north side of Wallace Street. The fire threatened a neighboring home, and a quick response by the VFD stopped the fire in the pasture, but not before melting a structural steel fence bordering the storage facility.
Over 2,500 empty plastic storage bins were destroyed, along with stacked cardboard that fueled the blaze. Highway 190 was blocked for nearly an hour during the critical initial phase of firefighting, as an easterly breeze threatened to carry the smoke across traffic lanes and crews worked to contain the fire’s spread. Favorable winds averted what could have been a disaster: flames and smoke were carried away from town and a nearby propane facility. It took nearly four hours to bring the fire under control, and one firefighter suffered from heat exhaustion battling the blaze in 108-degree temperatures. The firefighter was treated at the scene by Hamilton EMS, and is expected to fully recover.
Smoldering cardboard flared up after dusk, and volunteer firefighters again were called to douse the fire. Several remained on site overnight, despite having jobs and family to attend to in the morning. Relief crews arrived in the morning and worked smoldering spots to ensure no further flareups. Preparations were made to evacuate residents of San Saba Nursing and Rehab, but it was determined early on that an evacuation would not be necessary due to prevailing winds.
The San Saba Volunteer Fire Department may have been overwhelmed without a tremendous outpouring of support from neighboring fire departments and law enforcement officers, including the Richland Springs, Cherokee, Elm Grove, Lometa, Goldthwaite, and Lampasas VFDs. Hamilton EMS assisted firefighters in the heat. The SSVFD would also like to thank the City of San Saba Police Department officers and Chief John Bauer; the San Saba County Sheriff’s Department and Sheriff David Jenkins; the department dispatchers who managed radio traffic during the crisis; County Judge Jody Fauley and Commissioners; Marsha Hardy’s San Saba Emergency Management team, and Wyatt Deans, County Liaison Officer with the Texas Department of Emergency Management.
A special thanks goes to Lehne Construction, who abandoned all work at Chase Pecan and lent equipment and manpower to fight the fire.
The San Saba community once again rallied to aid first responders with generous donations of water, food, expressions of concern, prayers and moral support. No one wanted this terrible fire, but it served as a reminder of what a special place San Saba continues to be. The SSVFD is humbled by the undying support from the community during this time of drought and wildfires.
Large Fire Reported - update - San Saba Police Department 08-22-2023
On August 21, 2023, following an investigation of the fire, it was determined that the fire initiated from combustion of several cardboard boxes. The cardboard boxes were near plastic pecan totes, and at approximately 2:00 p.m. via surveillance video, the pecan totes became fully engulfed. It was determined that 2,600 empty pecan totes were destroyed by the fire.
On August 18, 2023, the San Saba Police Department worked with Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) to determine that there was no runoff into public waterways and there is no threat to public health or safety.
Not only do our First Responders work hard at keeping us safe, they also take the time to keep you informed on the events that take place in our community.
Even though this fire was a huge event in town, everything else did not stop. EMS and local law enforcement were still being called out on other emergency calls around town. When you see one of our First Responders, be sure to thank them for their dedication to keeping us safe!
For more information on and photos of the fire, go to our Facebook page (San Saba News & Star) or our website www.sansabanews.com.