Squatters camp fire to blame in blaze in Burnet County
Jill R. McAfee/Special to The Highlander
The Texas A&M Forest Service assisted in the battle of a 60-acre blaze with air drops on Sept. 8 in the Spring Creek Hills Subdivision, about five miles west of Burnet.
By Connie Swinney
Staff Writer
Rough terrain and rocky hill sides challenged fire crews to douse a nearly 60-acre blaze Sept. 8 in the Spring Creek Hills subdivision, about five miles west of Burnet, officials said.
The fire erupted from a ground fire spark around 1:30 p.m. on Sunday and spread quickly, threatening at least two homes and destroying an 8-by-8 outbuilding on one property, just off Yucca Drive.
“It was accidental from a ground fire,” Burnet Fire Marshal John Erskine said. “It looks like it was a cooking fire from a squatter's camp.
“By the time it was contained, it was approximately 60 acres,” he added.
Erskine added by about 7 p.m., there was no “active fire.” As of 10:30 a.m. the following day, the blaze was considered “100 percent under control.” . . .
Find the rest of this story in the Tuesday, Sept. 10 issue of The Highlander, the newspaper of record for the Highland Lakes. To offer a comment or news tip, email connie@highlandernews.com. To subscribe to the newspaper, call 830-693-4367, or subscribe to the E-edition online.
