SAN ANGELO, Texas (Concho Valley Homepage) — A Menard man has been arrested for violating a burn ban after a trash burn led to just over 500 acres of land being burned in Menard and Concho Counties, according to the Menard County Sheriff’s Office.
In a statement issued just after midnight on the morning of Sept. 4, MCSO reported that Thomas Leonard Williams III of Menard was arrested and charged with violating a burn ban. As of the time of publication, he remains in jail and awaits magistration.
The sheriff’s office stated that Williams was burning trash on his property on Lost Trail Road, a road found in northern Menard County just below the Concho County line, when the flames began to spread to nearby pastures. Sheriff Burl Hagler told Concho Valley Homepage that Williams claimed he had gone to the bathroom and returned to find the fire out of control.
MCSO said Williams would call 911, prompting a response from several agencies and organizations, including:
The fire, officially named the Live Oak fire, grew to a size of 502 acres and spread into Concho County before being contained at 8:05 a.m. on Sept. 3, as per information on the Texas A&M Forest Service’s incident viewer and current wildfire status webpage. However, Hagler said the fire burned approximately 1,000 acres.
Hagler said that, although the fire did not burn any structures or claim any lives, the incident is a “perfect example” of a potential worst-case scenario for a wildfire if other conditions, such as high winds, were in play while it was actively burning.
“This is the worst-case scenario other than somebody losing their life, but if there would have been a house, and he got lucky because the wind was not blowing,” Hagler said. “That day, it was very light. If it would’ve been blowing hard, that thing would’ve went to Wall.”
One such condition that did have an effect on the fire was vegetation, as Hagler stated that increased amounts of it caused by spring and summer rains have primed Menard County for destructive wildfires.
“As thick as it is, we’re just ripe for this to happen, and it happened,” Hagler said.
The burn ban for Menard County was placed on Aug. 10, according to the Menard County Clerk’s Office. Hagler urged residents to adhere to the ban for their safety and the safety of their community.
“We’re just sitting out here crossing our fingers every day that these people will use their good judgment and not do this,” Hagler said.
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