WilCo Grass Fire Consumes 200 Acres, 76 Homes Evacuated

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, TX — A large grass fire that has consumed 200 acres has prompted the evacuation of nearly 80 households in Williamson County Thursday evening, city officials said.

The conflagration was reported just before 6 p.m. near 4271 CR 233 in Florence, Texas. According to city officials, a building is on fire but no injuries were reported. Among the emergency crews battling the blaze are the Cedar Park Fire Department, Leander Fire Department, Williamson County Sheriff's Office and the Williamson County Office of Emergency Management, according to a municipal advisory.

Other agencies assisting are the Florence, Georgetown and Jarrell fire departments along with the Travis County Emergency Services District 1, Texas Department of Public Safety, Texas Department of Emergency Management and others, according to the city advisory.

Motorists are urged to avoid the area entirely. Several streets in the area surrounding the fire have been blocked to traffic, according to emergency officials.

This is a developing story. Patch will update as more details are known.

Related story: Williamson County Implements Burn Ban

While it's unclear what may have caused the fire, Williamson County on July 21 implemented a burn ban given the scorching, triple-digit heat and lack of rainfall that have marked this summer. In place for 30 days or until the county judge lifts it, the burn ban prohibits the burning of household yard waste, such as leaves, grass, brush and other yard trimmings. It also prohibits burning to clear land of trees, stumps, shrubbery, or other natural vegetation.

Violators of the order are those who burn any combustible material outside an enclosure which serves to contain all flames and/or sparks, or orders such burning by others, as officials explained at the time. The temperature hovered near 100 degrees in Williamson County when the fire was sparked, yielding a veritable tinderbox for fire crews at the scene. Well into the evening, the temperature was still high at 94 degrees in another scorching summer day in Central Texas.