Hoover’s Valley brush blaze reminder of fire danger
DANIEL CLIFTON • PICAYUNE EDITOR
HOOVER’S VALLEY — Though a brush fire Aug. 3 only burned between four and six acres, officials continue to monitor outdoor conditions.
“As wildfires go it was rather mild in the way it behaved,” said Herb Darling, Burnet County environmental services director. “Right now (range) conditions aren’t poor, but we are continuing to monitor them. We are looking at several more days of 100 degrees or better with no rain.”
Hoover’s Valley Volunteer Fire Department and other Burnet County fire crews responded to a wildfire off Quarter Horse Circle just north of Kingsland. Officials said a controlled burn escaped it’s perimeter and spread up a nearby hill.
While the fire wasn’t particularly large, it’s location and the terrain made it challenging for fire crews.
Darling said it appears the property owner who started the controlled burn may not have had an adequate clear area around the initial fire.
An Austin-Travis County STARFlight helicopter supported ground crews by making aerial water drops.
While the burn ban is still off (as of Aug. 5), Darling said officials will continue to review conditions and the status of the burn ban.
“Even if the burn ban is off we still ask people to be extremely cautious when burning anything,” Darling said. “Have a phone close by so if the fire gets out of control you can call 911. Also, have some way of extinguishing the fire nearby. And before you do any burning, call the sheriff’s department and let them know.”
While conditions haven’t caused officials to institute a burn ban, local fire firefighters want people to remember them before burning anything that could possible become a grass fire.
“It’s just flat hot out there,” said Marble Falls Area Volunteer Fire Department Capt. George Tennison. “If it’s hot for people just being outside, imagine how hot it is for a firefighter in gear and fighting a fire. So folks, please be careful.”
For current county burn ban statuses, go to burnetcountytexas.org; www.co.llano.tx.us; or www.co.blanco.tx.us.
daniel@thepicayune.com