A view of a roughly five-acre brush fire near the Aransas Pass Aquatic Center off Johnson St. Monday afternoon, July 18th that tied up firefighters from the city, Ingleside, Rockport, and Portland several hours. One firefighter was treated by EMS for heat exposure. Courtesy: APFD
Aransas Pass firefighters (left to right) Donald Obenhaus, 45, Brian Coldwater, 25 and Capt. Ryan Stacy, 33 stand beside ‘Brush 35’, also known as ‘Mighty T’ by the Aransas Pass Fire Department, military surplus converted to deal with wildfire emergencies. The vehicle weighs 36,000 pounds and carries 1,000 gallons of water. It partially sank in soft sand along dunes that acted as a natural fire-break Monday near the Aquatic Center and was pulled out with help from another piece of military surplus apparatus – a wrecker operated by the Ingleside Volunteer Fire Department that provided mutual aid at the scene. Aransas Pass Progress
A sign outside Aransas Pass Fire Department headquarters displays the current fire danger threat – here listed as ‘Moderate’ on Tuesday, July 19th. Chief Nathan Kelley predicted dry weather will lead to a further deterioration in conditions that make local communities ripe for even more brush and wildfires in the coming weeks or months unless there is ‘significant’ rainfall. Aransas Pass covers parts of San Patricio, Nueces, and Aransas counties and all remain under a burn ban. Aransas Pass Progress
APFD Preps for Continued Wildfire Threat
PLEASE LOG IN FOR PREMIUM CONTENT. Our website requires visitors to log in to view the best local news. Not yet a subscriber? Subscribe today!