Courtesy of Bastrop Advertiser
Feb. 3, 2022
By Bill McCann
Leaving my neighborhood on the morning of Jan. 18, I was surprised to see a posted sign stating that a controlled burn was planned that day by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department at nearby Bastrop State Park, about 35 miles southeast of Austin. Weather forecasters had predicted wind gusts up to 25 miles per hour for that afternoon. The wind was already kicking up. Surely, I thought, they won’t burn with dry conditions and high winds.
Despite the winds, there was no ban on outdoor burning in Bastrop County on Jan. 18. Bastrop County commissioners have jurisdiction over burning in unincorporated areas. If a county has a burn ban in place, state parks observe it unless they get an exemption, according to TPWD. There had been a burn ban in Bastrop County three days earlier, when the National Weather Service issued a “red flag warning” due to high winds and low humidity. But it was only for one day.
That afternoon my heart sank with the sound of sirens and helicopters. I saw thick smoke coming from the state park and figured TPWD had proceeded with the controlled fire, and it blew out of control. I knew that prescribed burns are beneficial in reducing wildfire risks by eliminating flammable plant matter. Now, I wondered if I or other residents would ever be comfortable with them again.
At a subdivision entrance on Texas 21 E, I joined concerned neighbors viewing the spreading smoke cloud. The winds pushed the fire out of the park into residential areas. About 250 families were evacuated as a precaution.
I checked online for details, which were sketchy initially. There was nothing visible on the county emergency management page. Then I clicked on a Facebook link and found updates beginning about 2 p.m. The fire seemed too close for comfort. (A later map showed the fire came within a half-mile of my neighborhood.)
I packed valuables in case we had to evacuate. (Thankfully, we never did.) Neighbors were packing too. Some of them had experienced the catastrophic 2011 Bastrop Complex fire and the 2015 Hidden Pines fire. Our subdivision had been evacuated in 2011, but the fire stopped just short. I didn’t live there then. But I was there during Hidden Pines and later participated on a task force of area property owners – including some who lost property in both the 2011 and 2015 fires. We prepared a report on Hidden Pines and offered recommendations to county commissioners on addressing future fires. Some recommendations were heeded. Others not so much.
I have learned over the past six years that there is widespread public fear, frustration and anger about fires, big and small, in Bastrop County. Plus, there is justified confusion about on again, off again burn bans. I have heard it in the voices of friends and neighbors and felt it in numerous Facebook comments.
From my perspective, state and local firefighters and other emergency personnel did a tremendous job with the Jan. 18 fire, known as the Rolling Pines fire. There were no lost lives or homes, despite burning 812 acres.
To help firefighters and residents going forward, I urge county officials to review criteria for imposing and enforcing burn bans amid rapid population growth and a warming climate. Many of us have nervously witnessed too many people burning leaves, debris, trash, etc. with seemingly little regard to fire danger or neighbors. Also, I urge county officials to take another look at the citizen task force’s Hidden Pines recommendations in the context of the Rolling Pines fire and work to continue improving public communications, especially online.
Meanwhile, I’m still curious why the big air tanker was still flying to Abilene for fire retardant during the Rolling Pines fire after the big press announcement in 2017 about the state establishing a tanker base at nearby Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
Finally, I’m glad the Texas A&M Forest Service has selected a team of independent experts to study the Rolling Pines fire. It’s crucial that our fire-wary community gets the facts ASAP.
McCann is a contributing columnist for the Advertiser. He is a retired journalist and may be reached at [email protected].
One thought on “Another Bastrop fire sets residents on edge (commentary)”
Been here 23 years, tired of this lack of accountability. I am tired of living in fear that I or my loved ones could die in a fire the government set on a day I was forbidden. We need leaders who will consider the impact on citizens and community before greenlighting requests that could easily be delayed, a Month if needed. No harm.