350 acres burned in grass fire between Hardin and Liberty

Firefighters from Hardin, Liberty and Hull-Daisetta responded to a 350-acre grass fire in the vicinity of CR 2001 and FM 2830 Thursday afternoon.

According to Klint Bush, president of ESD #7 (Hardin Fire and Rescue), the fire originated at a controlled burn that was set by landowners. Before long, the fire grew from a small grass fire that was initially reported as 50 acres to encompass 350 acres, Bush said.

Firefighters, working together, kept the blaze from spreading or threatening homes or businesses, he said.

There are two pipelines that run through the area where the fire was burning. While the ground above the pipelines is charred, no other damage was caused.

The Texas Forest Service and a couple of more local agencies were asked to respond but then told to disregard the call for help once firefighters brought the blaze under control, according to Bush.

Liberty County Bill Hergemueller said that while Liberty County currently is under a low-to-moderate fire risk, Thursday’s fire is an example of what can happen when certain conditions are right.

“It’s nice weather, people want to burn and clean up their properties, but sometimes the wind can pick up and there are other conditions that can quickly cause a wildfire,” Hergemueller said. “We ask that people burning monitor the fires and make sure they are completely out. If a fire they have set gets out of hand, call 911 and we’ll get some fire trucks out there to help put out the fire.”