Fireworks-related fires a plague over New Years
By SHANNON CRABTREE scrabtree@leader-news.com

L-N File Photo Constant Danger Grass fires, like this one off CR 362 in March, kept firefighters busy in West Wharton County during the New Year's holiday. Record summer rains have led to an abundance of dry, highlyflammable grass across Texas.

New Year's Eve celebrations had El Campo volunteer firefighters scrambling when sky rockets in flight returned to earth with fiery results.

No injuries or major damage were reported despite four separate grass fires dispatched between 8:40 p.m. New Year's Eve and 3 a.m. New Year's Day.

"It was fireworks - all of them," El Campo Fire Marshal Larry Staff said Thursday.

Prior to the holiday, fire offi- cials had urged Wharton County celebrants to exercise extreme caution with fireworks.

"With the wet summer, we have high grass and now two frosts have about killed it. It's tall and easy to catch on fire," El Campo Assistant Fire Chief Jimmy Nielsen warned just days before the traditional celebration.

He was unfortunately proven right.

The first reported grass fire call came in at 8:40 p.m. New Year's Eve on CR 355 in the area of Meadow Brook. The small fire was quickly doused with damaged contained to a grassy field.

Just 12 minutes later, alarms sounded for a second grass fire at 1601 Palacios sending firefighters once again racing to help.

That firecracker-induced blaze was doused before the first fire suppression unit could cover the distance from the site of the first fire.

"Most of them were pretty small. Nothing really got out of hand," Fire Chief Jimmy George Jr. said Thursday. "The one on CR 365 was a bit bigger."

Alarms screamed and sirens wailed for that blaze, the third of the celebration period, at 11:24 p.m. Monday.

Assistant Fire Chief Philip Urbanovsky was first on the scene not far from the intersection of FM 1300.

"It's getting close to a trailer house," he warned responding units.

Within moments, Louise's firefighting volunteers joined in the fight and soon the blaze was beaten back.

"They were popping fireworks," Chief George said.

As firefighters were returning to the city limits, the real New Year's Eve frenzy began to boom on the edges of town. Fireworks crackled to the thump, thump, thump of modern music. Most of the rural community settled down shortly after the whoops and hollers of midnight striking, but not everyone stopped the party so soon.

At 3 a.m. New Year's Day, the El Campo VFD was dispatched to its fourth grass fire of the night on CR 309. That blaze was also quickly doused.

With several frosty December mornings and temperatures plunging into the 20s Wednesday and Thursday, conditions are drying quickly.

"Victoria County is going to a burn ban now and we're getting pretty close," George said.

Despite record setting rainfalls in 2007, cold temperatures and winds have created potentially dangerous conditions on the prairie.