Cigarette, chain sparks could be causes of fires near TX 71, US 281 intersection
FROM STAFF REPORTS
MARBLE FALLS — Windy conditions combined with dry, dead grass might have helped ignite a string of roadside fires Jan. 18 along Texas 71 west of U.S. 281. Marble Falls Volunteer Fire Department crews snuffed were able to snuff out the blazes prior to them posing a risk to nearby structures, officials said.
Just after 8 p.m. that day, residents in The Overlook subdivision, located a few miles west of the highway intersection, called in concerns that someone might have intentionally set the fires.
However, fire investigators believe there may be a less ominous reason for the incident.
“It was a fire off the side of the road. Depending on where it’s burning, there can be small fires 20 feet from each other,” Marble Falls Area Volunteer Fire Chief Mike Phillips said. “It was either a chain dragging or a cigarette thrown out.”
Phillips added that the recent cold, dry weather created conditions that could have led to embers being carried from location to location.
“Everything has gone dormant. The wind has dried everything out. We had a freeze (recently), and that killed off more stuff,” he said. “We haven’t had really substantial moisture to keep a small roadside fire like this from growing.”
Officials have reported such incidents in the past that sparked similar concerns but could be traced to a vehicle or roadside activity.
“The last one was from a mowing. A motorist flagged (the resident mowing) down and told him it was burning,” Phillips said. “That grass is dead. The denser it is, the more it will burn.”