Controlled burn flares into 783-acre wildfire in Texas. ‘We don’t know what happened’

What started as a controlled burn in the Texas Hill Country outside Austin has turned into a 783-acre wildfire as firefighters try to contain the Rolling Pines Fire.

The fire began Tuesday, Jan. 18, at Bastrop State Park in Bastrop County, where Texas Parks and Wildlife Department officials were conducting a “prescribed fire.” But that fire spread outside the boundaries of the park, impacting residents in the county, about 35 miles southeast of Austin.

The Texas A&M Forest Service first asked for assistance combating the fire around 3 p.m. Tuesday, as the “very active” fire was at an estimated 150 acres.

More than 250 families were asked Tuesday to evacuate their homes, the Austin American-Statesman reported, but as of Wednesday afternoon there are no reports of structures being destroyed.

By 10 p.m. Tuesday, firefighters had “greatly reduced” the fire and created a containment line, according to KVUE.

About 30% of the fire has been contained as of Wednesday afternoon, according to InciWeb, the hub for wildfire information. No injuries have been reported.

“Resources remain hard at work constructing and improving containment line,” the Bastrop County Office of Emergency Management said in a 12:45 p.m. update Wednesday. “Fire behavior has remained low, mostly smoldering in heavy woody debris.”

The fire has not spread to the city of Bastrop, which has a population of 8,700.

The initial fire was only supposed to be 150 acres, Bastrop County Judge Paul Pape said Tuesday, KEYE reported. It’s unclear what led to the fire spreading.

“I am unequivocally convinced that our burn boss thought it was safe to carry out the fire,” Carter Smith with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said, according to KXAN. “We don’t know what happened. We absolutely believe that embers from the prescribed fire that undoubtedly caused the fire off the park.”

In a statement Tuesday night, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said the state has deployed resources to aid in the wildfire and will provide more help if necessary.

What is a prescribed burn?

Prescribed burns are necessary, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, after a devastating 2011 wildfire in Bastrop County.

The Bastrop County Complex fire ago burned for nearly two months and ended with 1,600 homes being destroyed in the 32,000-acre fire, KXAN reported. Two people died in the 2011 fire, which is the state’s most destructive wildfire to date.

Since then, parks officials have conducted about 18 fires, which have covered 3,220 acres. They are “critical in reducing fuel loads that would otherwise lead to catastrophic wildfires, and (are) essential to the management and stewardship of the forest,” the parks department said.

Smith said this particular prescribed burn was needed to restore the historic forest’s condition, NBC News reported.

They are also referred to as a “controlled burn” or a “prescribed burn” and are considered “one of the most important tools used to manage fire today,” according to the National Parks Service.

Pape said Wednesday “having a controlled burn get out of hand is not acceptable,” KVUE reported. He added that there will be an investigation into the wildfire.

“Based on everything they knew this morning, it was an appropriate day to burn,” Pape said, according to the Statesman. “None of us can predict the weather more than 15 minutes ahead of time, and sometimes things happen that we just don’t anticipate.”