SAN MARCOS, Texas — Crews in Hays County are working to get the Oak Grove wildfire under control. The fire started burning northwest of San Marcos on Saturday, growing to about 400 acres. Officials said there was minimal fire activity across the area and it was 65% contained as of Monday evening.
The fire destroyed the family home of Michael Hinz. His daughter, Callie Burton, was traveling over the weekend to pick her father up when she saw a big cloud of smoke and started to worry.
"We saw flames on both sides of the road, so then we figured we just better get him and go real fast," Burton said.
Hinz had been living there for 45 years.
"I never imagined this because it was so green all the time. And we moved out here in 1978, and there was really nothing much between here and town. This was about 11 acres that we had, but it was quiet," Hinz said. "We made a lot of memories."
Michelle Bussemey is also left assessing the damage the fire left behind. She co-owns a coffee roastery on Fox Road and pretty much everything besides her house, their roastery and office is destroyed.
"This is our dream out here. This was our dream – 5.5 acres of cedar, which is gone, oaks, elms, a lot of Texas persimmons. And then, of course, our rainwater tanks have melted on the house," Bussemey said.
Rebounding and rebuilding is now the priority for these Hays County residents. Hinz said he is focusing on some property that is 7 miles away on family land that was inherited. His family will focus on building a new house there.
"I didn't lose everything. I've got my son and my daughter and my son-in-law, my grandkids. We've got family, and we've got a lot of opportunities, I guess. And we intend to just carry on with that," Hinz said.
The family is missing what they lost but cherishing what they still have.
If you want to help the Hinz family recuperate their losses, a GoFundMe has been set up to assist them.