Editor: Shannon Cottongame
August 3, 2023
Hill County firefighters were joined by area, state and federal resources last week as a wildfire quickly spread near Blum, at one point leading to a voluntary evacuation order for Blum residents.
The fire started Wednesday, July 26, and the Texas A&M Forest Service is currently listing the cause as unknown. As of Sunday night, July 30, the Texas A&M Forest Service was reporting the wildfire to have impacted 300 acres, and it was 95% contained.
The fire broke out just north of Farm Road 934 off of Farm Road 933, and local fire departments initially responded. Texas A&M Forest Service assistance was requested at 3:15 p.m. and brought in aviation resources, heavy equipment and engines. The Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) also responded, along with multiple departments from Hill, Johnson, Bosque and other counties.
Just after 8 p.m. Wednesday, the fire progressed to one of the “trigger points” that officials had established would be the point at which a voluntary evacuation order would be issued. Residents north of White Rock Creek and into the City of Blum were asked to voluntarily evacuate, and those who had no place to go were directed to the community center in Rio Vista.
If the fire had progressed to a second established trigger point, the evacuation would have been mandatory, but that point was not reached.
Aviation resources and heavy equipment were able to reduce fire activity and stop forward progression Wednesday evening, and by 10 p.m., the voluntary evacuation order was rescinded. Crews spent the rest of the night constructing containment lines around the perimeter of the fire and putting out any areas of heat within 100 feet of the containment lines. The Forest Service reported that additional engines were working around 25 threatened structures to protect them from the fire.
Thursday, July 27, crews continued patrolling the perimeter, improving containment lines and fighting back active flames and smoking areas.
As of Friday morning, July 28, the Forest Service was reporting the fire to be at 300 acres and 40% contained. Containment is determined by a formula that takes into account the size of the fire, number of crews on scene and weather conditions.
Dozers and heavy equipment continued to build and improve the containment line and check for hot spots as flare-ups were reported Friday.
The Texas A&M Forest Service initially reported that five homes had been lost in the fire, but once officials were able to investigate the scene further, they corrected that previous release and said that no homes were lost and only one outbuilding burned.
Fire departments from two other counties reportedly lost fire trucks in the fire. There were three heat-related injuries reported on the first day of the fire, with two firefighters requiring hydration and treatment in ambulances and one other airlifted from the scene for treatment.
Hill County Judge Justin Lewis reported that the community had been supportive, with individuals donating water and area restaurants bringing food to the scene for fire crews.
TDEM also brought in volunteers from Fire Corps, a group that provides air-conditioned buses and other assistance to firefighters.
The Forest Service reported that high temperatures, low relative humidity and moderate winds with higher gusts were expected to continue in the coming days, leading to difficult conditions for area firefighters.
Hill County residents are reminded that the county has an emergency alert system that is used to deliver important messages about weather warnings, evacuation orders and other emergencies.
Those who are not signed up can do so by visiting https://hilloem.com and clicking “Register for Emergency Alerts.”
The Lakelander 