With no rain in sight and temperatures that are rising once again, fire dangers are ramping up.
“I saw like a campfire,” said Edward Kim who spotted a fire in the field behind his home in Northeast Austin. “It just started getting closer and bigger and the smoke started billowing over this way and people had their hoses out.”
After calling 911 Kim grabbed all the fire extinguishers he had in his home and tried to stop the fire from spreading.
“I just started pulling these (fencing) and snapping them off,” said Kim who broke through his fence to get to the field.
Video from the fire shows Kim spraying the fire extinguisher on the fire as fireworks explode in the distance.
“If we didn’t do something fast it was going to keep spreading and start touching houses,” said Kim.
He believes it started after a firework exploded nearby.
“With little rain and the high temperatures there is always the possibility of wild fires,” said Kassidy Buth with Travis County Emergency Services District 12.
When fire dangers are high it is best to make sure there is nothing flammable close to your home.
Buth says move propane tanks away from your home and if you have piles of dead wood or flammable debris near your home you should move it.
Also, managing high dried grass and keeping your yard watered can help.
“We urge anyone in out community if you see something of concern of course let us know,” said Buth.
Kim says he is still worried about the dry grass and brush behind his home and hopes something can be done to take care of it.
Austin Fire Department dispatchers answered roughly 300 calls regarding fireworks-related incidents during the 4th of July, of those, about 250 were related to grass, dumpster and trash fires.
The Texas A&M Forest Service has a tool that allows Texas residents to look up fire risk in their neighborhood. The tool can be explored online.
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