The scent of burning foliage and the orange glow of a brush fire in Spring Lake Natural Area pulled residents of the Cottages at Hillside Ranch out of their homes early Saturday morning.
San Marcos Fire Department (SMFD) Battalion Chief Aaron Crawford and a team of eight firefighters were dispatched at 1:03 a.m. The fire burned in an open section of land dotted with patches of grass and small bushes near a telephone pole and spread slightly less than an acre. SMFD extinguished the fire before it reached the main tree lines connecting to the forest. The fire did not cause any structural damage or bodily injuries.
“The fire was in very low dry grass,” Crawford said. “The conditions were good. It wasn’t windy, so it wasn’t progressing very fast. We got it knocked out pretty decently, pretty quick.”
Visitors can access the section of land through a man-made path off of the Roadrunner Trail. While a formal trailhead and entrance lies next door to the Cottages, no fence or barriers separate the natural area from the apartment complex.
Firefighters discovered motor shells and fireworks at the scene. The possession, distribution and use of fireworks is illegal in the city limits. In addition, Hays County and San Marcos currently have a burn ban in effect that prohibits the open burning of materials.
“With these conditions, as dry as it has been, we haven’t had rain in awhile,” Crawford said. “[People] can very easily set off grass fires in this type of area, especially a green space where it’s not maintained.”
According to Deputy Fire Marshall Robert Dallimore, the circumstances meet the criteria of second-degree felony arson. The case is currently under investigation.
Texas Penal Code Title 7 Chapter 28 Section 28.02 Arson states: “A person commits an offense if the person starts a fire, regardless of whether the fire continues after ignition, or causes an explosion with intent to destroy or damage: (1) any vegetation, fence, or structure on open-space land.”
Resident Sara Beth Stivers and her roommates, who live in the building closest to the fire, heard about the fire from passersbys at approximately 1:09 a.m.
“We were out on The Square, and then my roommate got a Ring notification,” Stivers said. “These two girls were out there, and they were like, ‘Hey, I think the backyard is on fire.’”
Stivers said the women told them they had called 911. Two fire trucks, two brush fire vehicles and the battalion chief’s ride from two district fire stations arrived within minutes. Both brush fire vehicles traversed to the scene.
A separate group of residents in a nearby townhome watched the firefighting efforts while partying to fire-related songs including “Girl on Fire” by Alicia Keys and “Sex on Fire” by Kings of Leon.
Firefighters remained on scene until 2:53 a.m. to ensure the fire was extinguished by wetting the area and laying wet lines, barriers created by soaking unburnt areas to prevent reignition and growth.
Firefighters later returned to the scene to dampen a smoldering stump that a trailrunner reported at 10 a.m. on Saturday. Crawford said the stump was not a threat to spread anywhere due to being in the middle of the already burnt area.
The city of San Marcos offers a $250 award for any information that leads to the arrest and conviction of anyone who committed arson within the corporate city limits.
