BUDA, Texas (KXAN) — Multiple fires popped up across Central Texas on Tuesday. According to fire officials, strong winds contributed to the flames spreading.
KXAN drove to multiple different fire scenes. We first dispatched to one in the Manor area.
The Austin Fire Department said it got the call around 2:30 p.m. about a fire next to a roadway near a neighborhood. AFD Division Chief Mark Bridges said the fire grew because of the strong winds. He said it burned 10 acres.
“Crews were showing up. They noticed some power lines going back and forth,” Bridges said. “Our speculation on this one was some wires that crossed and sparks and embers dropped onto the grass below and the winds just whipped it up and turned it into what it was.”
Luckily, Bridges said no structures were impacted and no one was hurt. This was just one of many other fires AFD responded to on Tuesday.
“We had multiple grass fires, that didn’t get to this size, but we had units responding to those all across the city,” Bridges said. “In preparation for today, we have upstaffed extra units. Other departments have upstaffed extra units.”
About 40 minutes south, there was another fire in the Buda and Kyle areas. Officials labeled it the Onion Creek Fire. As of Tuesday evening, Kyle Fire Department Spokesperson Andy Womble said it burned more than 170 acres.
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The Kyle Fire Department said it made sure to increase staffing for Tuesday because of the windy condition. (Photo: KXAN) -
The Kyle Fire Department said it made sure to increase staffing for Tuesday because of the windy condition. (Photo: KXAN) -
The Kyle Fire Department said it made sure to increase staffing for Tuesday because of the windy condition. (Photo: KXAN) -
The Kyle Fire Department said it made sure to increase staffing for Tuesday because of the windy condition. (Photo: KXAN)
“Today was the perfect conditions for a fire to start,” Womble said. “We were prepared for something like this. We were expecting something like this – something to flare up.”
Womble said the cause of this fire is still under investigation. She said Kyle FD and other crews in Hays County planned to work overnight and through the morning to monitor hot spots.
No structures were impacted in that fire, but officials didn’t have a containment number yet.
