Grass fire torches 130 acres

By Jacob Stock

The Cuero Record

Last Wednesday on July 13 at approximately 1:00 p.m. a host of DeWitt County fire department agencies dispatched to a call on a grass fire off of Schlinke Road and FM 953. Cuero VFD, Yorktown VFD, Nordheim VFD, Thomaston VFD, Yoakum VFD, Westhoff VFD, Texas A&M Forest Service, along with the Texas Department of Emergency Management, DeWitt County Sheriffs Department, Cuero EMS, and GVEC were all on-site to help contain and limit the spread. 

With rain coming scarcely the area still remains immensely parched. The grass fire was determined to have been triggered by a lightning strike from a storm that had previously moved through the area. It was initially assumed that the fire started from a down overloaded power line but evidence of that could not be determined. 

“Cuero Volunteers were the command unit on location. Upon arrival we noticed how big it was, with the wind conditions that’s why we called in more assets,” said Bo Daniel, member of the Cuero Volunteer Fire Department. 

“The wind was being very erratic. One minute it was coming from the north, the next minute it’s coming from the south so it was blowing the head of the fire in different directions,” continued Daniel. “If we weren’t working together that fire could have easily gone another 300-400 acres.”

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