Brush Fire Burns Nearly 2,000 Acres In Starr County

By Jennifer C. Smith, The Monitor, McAllen, Texas

Jan. 9–SAN ISIDRO — Two lit brush piles sparked a wildfire in northeast Starr County that burned nearly 2,000 acres of ranchland and closed Farm-to-Market 1017 for at least three hours Sunday morning.

No injuries or property damage, except for several fences, were reported. The Starr County Sheriff Department is investigating who set the brush piles and why, said Linn-San Manuel Fire Department Chief Domingo Hinojosa Jr.

Nine fire departments — including six Hidalgo County and south Brooks County departments — responded to the blaze that began around 10 a.m. on the south side of 1017 before jumping to the north side.

“There were a lot of storage tanks for oil fields, and those were our main concern,” said Mission Fire Chief Ricardo Saldana. Each of the five tanks held 500 to 1,000 gallons of oil.

The fires circled the tanks, but did not affect them, said Edinburg Fire Chief Shawn Snider. Wind speeds at 35 to 30 mph and low humidity aggravated fire conditions, he said.

“Everybody needs to fully understand the dangers of lighting any type of fire, including trash fire and debris removal,” he said. “Its encouraged at this point, until we get rain, don’t burn anything.”

The fire was finally extinguished between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m. and the Texas Department of Transportation reope ned the highway.

Jennifer C. Smith covers health, environment and science issues for The Monitor. She can be reached at (956) 683-4462.

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Copyright (c) 2006, The Monitor, McAllen, Texas

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