Trails Fire 100 percent contained; spark from car possible cause
The charred remains of a home near the Blue Lake Golf Club. Officials reported the Trails Fire in Horseshoe Bay was 100 percent contained as of Aug. 16. Photo by Stennis Shotts
Fire officials suspect an “accidental roadside start” was the cause of a fire near The Trails and Blue Lake subdivisions in Horseshoe Bay. The blaze, which started Thursday, Aug. 13, destroyed a home and severely damaged another.
As of about 6:30 p.m. Sunday, the 400-acre fire was 100 percent contained, according to the Texas Wildfire Incident Report system. No injuries have been reported.
In total, 37 structures were threatened in the subdivisions, located on FM 2381 near Lake LBJ.
Officials reported that the fire was likely ignited by a spark from a vehicle hitting a rock or dragging chains or even low tire pressure.
Residents were evacuated on Thursday but allowed to return home over the weekend. Crews from multiple agencies battled the blaze, including the Horseshoe Bay Fire Department, Granite Shoals Fire Rescue, volunteer departments in Marble Falls and Cassie, and the Texas A&M Forest Service, the Lower Colorado River Authority, and the Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge.
The Trails is a certified “firewise community,” which Horseshoe Bay City Manager Stan Farmer credited with helping keep firefighters safe. Firewise communities use good forestry practices and xeriscaping and take other precautions to protect homes against wildfires.
“They are one of the few firewise communities in Texas,” Farmer said. “That really did help save the structures in The Trails subdivision.”