PFLUGERVILLE, Texas — Firefighters are on the scene of a large brush fire in Pflugerville on Wednesday afternoon.
The Pflugerville Fire Department said the fire is burning near Cameron Road and Fuchs Grove Road. The Texas A&M Forest Service also responded to the scene to aid in putting out the fire.
Cameron Road is closed at Fuchs Grove Road and Schmidt Lane. Residents are asked to avoid the area.
A preliminary report indicates the fire was just more than 67 acres. Crews were able to contain 95% of the area and are expected to remain on scene to find and put out remaining hotspots.
The fire threatened two structures before being extinguished, but no structural damage was reported.
Travis County ESD No. 2 was able to respond with five brush trucks, three engines and a command element, as did units from Manor FD under Automatic Aid.
Officials said the cause of the fire was accidental in nature and was started by sparks from farm equipment operating in the area. It happened in the same field where a small fire happened Tuesday afternoon.
A public information officer with the forest service urged people to be mindful of sparks from various activities that could lead to a fire, especially as the state faces record heat.
"We are in some record heat here in Texas. We are going to be in this record heat and very dry conditions for quite some time so we really want to encourage the public, farmers, ranchers, anybody: please be mindful of any activity you may be doing that may potentially produce sparks," Kimberly Kaschlk with the forest service said. "Whether it's welding, whether it's using farm equipment, whether it's just cigarettes – anything that could potentially spark a wildfire."
Significant wildfire risk continues for much of Central Texas as the region sees critically to extremely dry vegetation, the Texas A&M Forest Service said this week.
Ninety-nine percent of the state is experiencing some level of drought. The rainfall received last week was minimal and offered only a temporary reprieve from the dry conditions in some areas, the forest service said.
Click here for a map of current wildfire situations across Texas.
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