Evacuations ended as 100-acre grass fire near Bastrop State Park is 65% contained

A 100-acre grass fire near Bastrop State Park that forced the evacuation of nearby residents for several hours on Tuesday was 65% contained, officials said Wednesday.

A county official said she had not heard of any reports of injuries or structure damage, but she cautioned that could just mean that any damage had not yet been called in. KXAN-TV reported that at least one home has been affected by the fire before noon Wednesday.

The blaze started as a grass fire off Texas 71, said Lyndsey Schroeder, the executive assistant to County Judge Gregory Klaus. She said there is no estimate as to how long the fire, named the Powder Keg Fire, will continue to burn.

"We do know that it was a grass fire on the side of the highway," said Schroeder. "However, we don't know what caused that, whether it was a thrown-out cigarette or a tractor-trailer dragging a chain, something of that sort, but it was started as a grass fire on the side of the highway."

The Bastrop Fire Department has been fighting the blaze with help from the Texas Forest Service, StarFlight, North Bastrop County Fire Rescue and Heart of the Pines Volunteer Fire Department, Schroeder said. Units from Austin, Manchaca, Manor, Pflugerville and Travis County Fire Rescue continue to assist on the fire line, according to the Austin Fire Department.

Firefighters were still patrolling the area and taking action when necessary, the Bastrop County Office of Emergency Management said Wednesday. It said that the blaze's forward advance had stopped but that flames would be visible inside the perimeter. Anyone who believes their structure is at risk should call 911.

According to the Texas A&M Forest Service, the fire was 65% contained and covered 100 acres as of midafternoon Wednesday. The initial report from Bastrop County officials had said it was a 1-acre blaze.

The Bastrop County sheriff's office said Tuesday evening that fire operations and aviation resources were making progress in containing the blaze. Officials first responded to the fire at about 1:35 p.m. Tuesday.

Residents between Harmon Road and Pine Hill Loop were evacuated as a precaution, but they were then allowed to return around 9 p.m. Tuesday.

Taryn Lemere Schiedeck, who lives a quarter-mile from the fire, said she saw the smoke as she went to pick up her children Tuesday. She called the Fire Department, who said they already had help on the way, Schiedeck said.

When she returned, she said, it felt like the smoke had reached her doorstep. Schiedeck began catching her livestock and prepared to move them, if needed.

Hot temperatures and windy weather are making for ideal wildfire conditions across Central Texas. Bastrop County has had its share of dangerous fires, most famously the Bastrop County Complex Fire in 2011 that was the most destructive wildfire in state history. It burned 34,000 acres, destroyed 1,660 homes and killed two people.

This story is ongoing and will be updated as more information is made available.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Grass fire near Bastrop State Park reported, evacuations lifted