Crabapple wildfire near Fredericksburg increases to 9,500 acres, now only 55% contained

FREDERICKSBURG, Texas — Fire officials in Gillespie County, along with the Texas A&M Forest Service, are continuing to battle a massive fire near Fredericksburg, Texas, according to authorities. The wildfire now covers an estimated 9,500 acres and is only about 55% contained.

The fire has now been burning for about 33 hours as of Sunday evening. What started as a small fire Saturday afternoon has now grown to thousands of acres and is leaving behind scenes of blackened ground, ash covered trees and the smell of smoke in the air everywhere you go.

Texas A&M Forest Service is working in unified command with local departments to battle the blaze. The current affected area stretches from Lower Crabapple to Farm-to-Market Road 1631.

On Saturday, heavy equipment, engines and aircraft were used to protect structures and establishing a containment line. Suppression efforts continued on Sunday.

“It went across our field just like that. It burned a lot of our coastal fields, and the wind was blowing about 30 miles an hour,” said ranch owner Craig Steinbring who told KENS 5 that Saturday night was scary as the fire nearly jumped the highway inching closer to his home. 

“We made a fire lane. My neighbor has a dozer and he made a fire lane dug it all the way from his house all the way down to ours so when the fire comes up to it you’ve just got to watch it and make sure it doesn’t jump it,” he said.

Neighbors helped neighbors, but Steinbring says he knows that he’s got to leave it to the professionals to get the job done.

“The wind right now is not our friend and that’s what causing the ashes to fly and flare up, and that’s what our crews have been mainly dedicated to doing today, is protecting structures and putting out flareups where they occur,” said Sean Doerre, a spokesperson from the City of Fredericksburg.

Texas A&M Forest Service says crews have established a containment line from 16 North to FM 1631. The plan for Sunday is to establish a containment line from 16 North to Lower Crabapple Road on the left flank as well as on the south side of the fire.

There have been no new evacuation orders as of Sunday but with the wind picking up speed during the afternoon, that made the hot spots harder to put out.

“Because we’ve had high winds here in the Texas Hill country it’s picked up embers, carried them up to a mile away, dropped them down and started another fire,” said Doerre.

Officials say there are no air quality concerns at this time but crews are monitoring the weather, because increasing wind speeds become a concern throughout the day.

An assessment of the extent of damage will be made, officials say. The exact number and type of structures damaged or destroyed is unknown at this time. 

Thankfully, no injuries or fatalities have been reported at this time.

To help with recovery efforts from the Crabapple Fire, Gillespie County has partnered with the OneStar Foundation, Rebuild Texas to establish the Crabapple Disaster Fund. At this time, Fredericksburg Fire and EMS says this is the best way to help. 

On Sunday, Governor Greg Abbott announced that FEMA approved federal funding for those fighting the fire. 

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Around 1 p.m. Saturday, departments from across Gillespie County responded to the grass fire located in the 8700 block of Lower Crabapple. Officials say the fire moved east across Highway 16 North due to high winds and prime conditions for wildfires in the area. 

Law enforcement is asking anyone between Highway 16 North and FM 1631 and between Ranch Road 1323 and Ranch Road 2721 were ordered to evacuate.

Smoke was visible in and around that area and further, according to officials.

Officials say to avoid the area as crews work to contain the fire. Texas A&M Forest Service has reported that it is 9,500 acres in size.

“At this point, there is no containment,” Fredericksburg Fire Chief Lynn Bizzell said. “Our goal is to stop the forward progress with air support from TDEM and the Texas A&M Forest Service. Our crews are also working behind the fire to make sure embers do not cause more fires. Currently embers are flying up to a half of mile and causing more fires in the area. Our resources are working to protect structures.”

By 3 p.m. Saturday, Fredericksburg Fire and EMS said there are evacuations orders in place and crews on the ground are evacuating people as needed. If anyone has been displaced, a shelter has been made available at Faith Baptist Church located at 3022 North State Highway 16 in Fredericksburg.

At around 4:20 p.m. Saturday, the fire had jumped across State Highway 16 and was on its way toward FM 1631. Officials have urged anyone in the area to evacuate immediately.

By 6:10 p.m. on Saturday, the massive fire was 0% contained.

The Fredericksburg Police Department asked the public to refrain from calling dispatch asking for updates on the growing blaze.

Anyone who would like to help first responders by donating water or electrolyte drinks can do so at the Fredericksburg Fire Department at 126 West Main Street.

This is a developing situation and KENS 5 will continue to update this article as we learn more.