A wildfire along State Highway 71 in Bastrop County was 75% contained as of Wednesday evening, the Bastrop County Office of Emergency Management said.
The agency said the Powder Keg Pine Fire, which had grown to about 117 acres, was still burning, but that it's currently not spreading.
The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning from noon until 9 p.m. Wednesday for Bastrop County and much of Central Texas. Wind and low humidity could cause fires to spread quickly, the NWS said. People should not park cars in tall, dry grassy areas where weeds could catch on fire or throw cigarette butts on the ground.
The Powder Keg Pine Fire forced evacuations Tuesday afternoon, but evacuees were allowed to return home later in the day.
Emergency responders were spending Wednesday checking for spot fires, Walter Flocke, a spokesperson with Texas A&M Forest Service, said.
"[Crews are] going inside of the burned area and extinguishing any of those hot spots, because it's going to be another hot dry day today," he said, "and we're going to need to really make sure that those are extinguished."
Albert Navarro, who owns a nearby vape store, said he evacuated Tuesday as the fire grew.
“Everything started getting ugly pretty quick," he said, adding that he’s been on edge because it reminds him of the 2011 Bastrop fire, which destroyed about 1,700 structures.
Flocke said the Powder Keg Pine Fire was in the same spot as the 2011 fire.
“There are a lot of dead trees and a lot of heavy timber in there that's down on the ground,” he said. “And that's going to take a long time to mop up and extinguish.”
Flocke said the fire could continue to burn for multiple days, especially with no rain expected.
A separate wildfire on the Bastrop-Fayette County line — about 10 miles south of Smithville near State Highway 95 — has burned 37 acres, the Texas A&M Forest Service wildfire map shows. The fire is 80% contained as of Thursday morning.
This story has been updated.
I’m in Bastrop at the site of the Powder Keg Wildfire. This is all I can see from where I am but will try to get a better look safely later on.
— Haya Panjwani (@hayapanjw) August 2, 2023
As of early this morning, it’s 50% contained. Will share updates as I learn more. @KUT pic.twitter.com/pafILygoh5
