After burning 707 acres, Llano County fire 100% contained Sunday

Credit: Morgan Gist MacDonald

Austin American-Statesman
Skye Seipp, Austin American-Statesman
July 17, 2023

Update:This story was updated on July 17 to reflect that the fire was 100% contained.

Firefighters completely put out the 707-acre fire in Llano County on Sunday evening, the Texas A&M Forest Service said.

The Moore Peak Fire threatened 14 homes, but none was damaged and no official evacuation orders were ever put in place, said Walter Flocke, wildland urban interface coordinator for the Texas A&M Forest Service. He said the only piece of property destroyed by the fire was a shed.

The fire started Thursday due to equipment use on private property at East Texas 71 and County Road 307, Flocke said. The excessive heat blasting the region made it harder to put out the fire, he said, as all of the moisture in the grass and trees is sucked out, making it a "fuel-driven" blaze even with low winds.

On Sunday morning, he had said it was tough to say whether the fire would be put out that day, as large trees and other big items that burn for a long time — also called "heavy fuels" — could smolder and smoke for days or even weeks.

At least 13 agencies responded to the incident, Flocke said, including multiple local fire departments and state agencies such as the Texas A&M Forest Service, the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Texas Division of Emergency Management, which was sent out by Gov. Greg Abbott.

A five-engine strike team was made up of people from the Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System and Texas A&M Forest Service, Flocke said.

Officials said state resources left after the fire was put out and control of the incident was given back to local fire departments.