NE Side Fire Forces 1,700 To Evacuate
NE Side Fire Forces 1,700 To Evacuate
11 September 2011
published by www.ksat.com
USA — A fast-moving brush fire tore through San Antonio’s northeast side Sunday afternoon forcing some homes to be evacuated.
The fire broke out at 1 p.m. in two places just east of Wetmore Road and south of Wurzbach Parkway, fire officials said.
The fire spread quickly and wound up threatening 672 homes in the subdivisions of Oak Grove, Town Lake and one north of MacArthur High School.
More than 1,700 people were evacuated, fire officials said. Many of them fled to a temporary evacuation center at Lady Bird Johnson Park.
Fire officials said they had more than 100 crews battling the brush fire on the ground and with at least three air tankers.
As of Sunday night, the cause of the blaze had not been determined. Fire officials said no one was injured and no structures were damaged.
“At this point, we’re just going to blame everything on it being very dry,” San Antonio Fire Department District Fire Chief William Pavliska said. “Surely somebody was not being careful. It doesn’t take much. Somebody burning trash, barbecuing or any number of things could be at fault.”
At 4:30 p.m., evacuated residents received a clearance to return home. Many residents said they are leery at the thought of having to evacuate again because of a brush fire near their homes.
“We came in front of our house and the field about 20 feet from our house was just gone,” homeowner David Deluc said. “Fire was going everywhere.”
