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Municipal, county and volunteer fire departments are staying busy extinguishing a seemingly endless outbreak of grass and structural fires across Colorado County.
Summer’s record broiling temperatures as well as extensive drought have created high-risk conditions making it easier for fires to start. Even the brief rain Tuesday will be of little help alleviating the situation, with the area still a virtual tinderbox, officials said.
Burn bans announced by officials in Colorado County and many of the surrounding areas are designed to limit the frequency and the effect of fires, first responders said.
In one recent episode, the county’s multi-agency Fire Task Force combined to fight a large structural and grass fire in Altair on Aug. 19. Police, emergency medical services and fire departments from surrounding areas converged to fight the flames and divert traffic.
The fire cleared a large area of brush and grass but was contained by the agency’s combined efforts after several hours.
The Sheridan Volunteer Fire Department, which also participated in fighting the Altair blaze, battled another conflagration on Aug. 21 when it was dispatched to another large brush fire near FM 2437.
The first responders arrived by 11 a.m. and did not clear the premises until 6 p.m. The Texas A&M Forest Service provided a bulldozer to help limit the spread of the flames.
The emergencies kept coming, public-safety officials said.
Aug. 17 proved to be another busy day for county fire departments with multiple calls the same day. The Eagle Lake and Sheridan fire departments joined efforts to contain a large grass fire near FM 3013. With the help of the Columbus Volunteer Fire Department and several other units from the surrounding counties, flames were brought under control within hours.
That fire was just one of several calls Columbus VFD responded to on the same day.
Before assisting with the FM 3013 situation, Columbus rushed to a fiery tractor-trailer rig on Texas 71.
After both fires were contained, Columbus then battled blazes near Columbus High School and another near Vengaus George Road.
Kevin Reuther, a retired firefighter, noticed the blaze sparking and cleared the surrounding area using his tractor to keep it from spreading until the firetrucks could arrive, officials said.
The Eagle Lake and Garwood volunteer fire departments responded to a structure fire on Wilderness Lane in Altair Aug. 11. The units also received help from a Columbus firefighter.
The blaze destroyed the home, leaving only the outside frame standing.
Officials are asking residents to refrain from burning trash and wood piles while the dry and hot conditions persist.
The Colorado County Office of Emergency Management released an online warning and noted a resident suffered intense burns as a result of a recent fire.
“No burning your piles of tree limbs, trash and debris for any reason,” the office said in the post. “The inconvenience of a burn pile is not worth your home, your loved ones or your life.”
