New data shows Texas fire crews responded to more than 6500 wildfires in 2023
New data from the Texas A&M Forest Service show that in 2023, Texas firefighters responded to 6,534 wildfires, a little more than half the previous year.
SAN MARCOS, Austin (KXAN) – South Hays Fire Chief Robert Simonson remembers watching a wildfire climb the hill in rural San Marcos and head toward a neighboring town. He was at the command post. It was dark. And he felt as if Mother Nature was winning.
“The difficult thing was it just seemed like we’d get ahead, and the wind would change. We’d get ahead, and the terrain would change,” Simonson said. “It just seemed like for the first couple of hours, we were chasing our tails.”
The Oak Grove fire in Hays County began on August 5. It destroyed vehicles and at least one home, according to county officials.
Thankfully, Simonson said his volunteer fire department was not alone. They had a lot of help.
Firefighters from as far as Colorado came in to help contain the fire. According to county officials, Blackhawk helicopters dropped buckets over flareups and hotspots. The Texas Interstate Fire Mutual Aid System brought in additional teams.
After five days, the fire was fully contained.
New data from the Texas A&M Forest Service show that in 2023, Texas firefighters responded to 6,534 wildfires, a little more than half the previous year.
The 2023 wildfires burned 204,441 acres across the state, compared with more than 645,000 in 2022.
Despite significantly fewer wildfires across the state, crews in Central Texas dealt with a string of wildfires during record heat over the summer. There had been 59 in the region by the end of October.
The Moore Peak fire, the largest in the area, started on July 13. But unlike the Oak Grove fire, no homes were destroyed while it spread across 700 acres in Llano County.
In 2023, the Texas A&M Forest Service said it provided more than $28 million to agencies for training, equipment, and emergency assistance.
The agency said it provided another $1.6 million worth of equipment to volunteer fire departments, including Simonson’s. Simonson said they bought a large brush truck with a matching grant from the forest service.
Still, he says his department and other small and volunteer-run departments need more money.
The South Hays Fire is transitioning to a combination fire department this year, which means it will operate with volunteers and full-time firefighters.
However, the change means they won’t qualify for some funds held for rural volunteer fire departments with less than 20 paid staff members.
“People forget how expensive fire apparatus is. We are trying to buy a pumper; if we are lucky, we will get it for under $900,000,” Simonson said. “Our workman’s comp is an excess of $100,000 a year. Smaller agencies can’t afford that $100,000 a year.”