Sheriff Hands Out Burn Ban Violations In Bastrop County
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BASTROP COUNTY (CBS11) — Saturday evening, Bastrop County officials announced the Hidden Pines fire is now 50% contained.
For the first time since Tuesday, there was no growth in the burn zone. No additional homes had been lost to the flames as of Saturday afternoon.
"I feel really good about where we are right now," said Bastrop County Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Fisher.
Bastrop County Judge Paul Pape used a football analogy to describe where the effort is right now.
"We've been playing defense on this fire for the last four days, and today we're in containment mode, which means we're not going to let that fire score anything else," Pape said.
The fire has burned close to 4,600 acres and destroyed 48 "home-like structures." Teams will be assessing exactly what has been damaged or destroyed over the last few days.
Despite the burn ban in effect, Bastrop County Sheriff Terry Pickering said his office had cited six people for burn ban violations on Friday.
"Why on earth would anyone willfully start a fire?" Pape asked. He warned he would throw the book at anyone who purposefully violated the burn ban.
Some residents would be allowed to return back to their homes as early as Saturday night, but residents would need to present ID as security check points will be in place.
With humidity and wind conditions not looking favorable for Sunday, officials are calling in more help.
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