Wildfire destroys nearly 100 acres
The Vindicator | Geovanni DeHoyos Aircraft work to pull fire from a pond near the wildfire that destroyed nearly 100 acres south of Cleveland.
CLEVELAND - A large wildfire that burned around 98 acres in north Liberty County sent local firefighters scurrying as they fought to extinguish the blaze and prevent a widespread disaster on Tuesday.
The fire broke out in the early afternoon off FM 1010 and CR 325, south of the Texas 105 bypass.
The Cleveland Fire Department and several other area departments joined the fight to contain the fire, which took over five hours to get under control.
Residents in the area of CR 325 were being evacuated to ensure the safety of those located in the immediate area at one point.
“We did have an evacuation at one point,” said Liberty County Fire Marshal Bill Hergemueller. “We had some homes that were threatened by the fire.”
According to Hergemueller, who was assisting at the scene, the threat was contained, and those residents were allowed to return to their homes.
Aerial support assisted during the fire and dumped fire retardant and water from a nearby pond.
According to Cleveland City Manager Scott Swigert, city officials and members of the various fire departments were on the scene, working hard to keep everyone safe.
FM 1010 was temporarily blocked to traffic, with school traffic being rerouted out of caution.
It was a busy day for local firefighters, who also fought a six-acre fire on the county’s south end near Devers, according to Hergemueller. The forest service was also called out to assist with that fire, which was contained late Tuesday night.
“It’s been busy,” said Hergemueller.
Liberty County remains under a burn ban, and residents need to be mindful of the extreme weather conditions in the area.