Burnet asphalt fire blamed on operator error
By Andy Jechow and Claire Ricke Published: July 6, 2016, 10:50 pm Updated: July 7, 2016, 3:32 pm
BURNET, Texas (KXAN) — The fire that forced dozens of Burnet residents to evacuate their homes Wednesday night was caused by a fire inside equipment used in the asphalt-making process.
The fire started around 9:40 p.m. at Century Asphalt Plant, located on property leased to the plant by the Hanson Aggregates Quarry in Burnet on U.S. Highway 281. When firefighters arrived, they determined the fire was inside a piece of equipment used to make asphalt.
Employees at the plant said there was “potential for the equipment to catastrophically fail” so out of caution and safety for the fire crews, the assistant fire chief ordered the evacuation of the entire plant and nearby homes. There were initial concerns about chemicals being close to the fire that could cause more harm but authorities say once they received more information the chemical concern was determined to not be an issue.
“The fire got over 700 degrees and the employees at this location stated that it could blow and if it does it can take out a large area and for that reason we chose to evacuate the citizens as soon as we could,” said Burnet Police Chief Paul Nelson.
Residents of the Ranch at Delaware Creek neighborhood, within a mile of the Hanson Aggregates facility, were told to evacuate immediately. Emergency officials notified homeowners via telephone messages as well as going door-to-door to help in the evacuation. A total of 75 to 100 homes were asked to evacuate.
Once a Century Asphalt senior manager arrived on scene, he was allowed to go to the site to shut down the equipment. The Burnet Fire Marshal, John Erskine, says the fire never extended outside of the equipment. Around 11:30 p.m., fire crews re-entered the site to cool and extinguish the equipment.
Some of the evacuees spent a few hours at the Burnet Community Center while they waited for the all-clear. Just before 12 a.m., Burnet police told all evacuees they could return to their homes.
While the quarry itself mines limestone, the asphalt company on site produces asphalt for building roads. Erskine says this particular fire is “in no way a potential ‘West, Texas’ incident.” The cause of the fire inside the equipment was due to operator error.
One employee was taken to the hospital where he was treated and released.
Century Asphalt’s website shows they have three locations in the Hill Country, two in South Texas and seven in the Houston-area.
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JULY 7, 2016
BURNET, TEXAS — Crews snuffed an equipment fire July 6 at an asphalt facility on U.S. 281 that resulted in the evacuation of several dozen residents and the temporary closure of the highway, officials said.
The fire was reported just before 10 p.m. at Century Asphalt Materials, located in the 4900 block of U.S. 281 and adjacent to the Hanson Aggregates rock quarry.
According to crews on the scene, the fire started between two cylinders in some equipment at the facility.
The temperature of the fire reached 700 degrees, prompting the evacuation of residents at about 10:15 p.m. because of flammable chemicals at the facility, Burnet Police Chief Paul Nelson said.
About 75 residents within a one-mile radius of the facility, including some from The Ranch subdivision, relocated to the Burnet Community Center,
At the time of the evacuation, crews closed the highway between Sunday Drive (The Ranch entryway) and Park Road 4.
Residents returned to their homes just before midnight with no reports of injuries other than one plant employee.
“One of the overnight plant operators was transported to Seton Highland Lakes Medical Center in Burnet, where he was treated and released,” according to a statement by the Burnet Fire Department.
Burnet Fire Department crews, assisted by surrounding agencies, doused the blaze and remained on the scene overnight.
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Quarry fire on US 281 sparks mass evacuations
Submitted by bulletin1 on Thu, 07/07/2016 - 9:24am
Update:
Burnet Police have confirmed that only about 75 homes were evacuated during the incident, and the fire was contained to the equipment at the Century Asphalt plant located at the Hanson Aggregates rock quarry location. Read more in Wednesday's Burnet Bulletin.
BY ALEXANDRIA RANDOLPH/BURNET BULLETIN
A large fire at a rock quarry on US 281 led to the evacuation of hundreds of Burnet residents Wednesday night.
At about 9 p.m., Burnet Police urged those residing within one mile of the Hanson Aggregates rock quarry, including those living in The Ranch and Delaware Springs subdivisions, to “evacuate your home immediately” due to a large fire occurring at the plant. The message was sent over social media.
Evacuees were urged to relocate to the Burnet Community Center on Jackson Street.
Authorities shut down US 281 in both directions between Sunday Drive and Park Road 4 while first responders worked the scene at the plant.
At 11:59 p.m., police said on social media sites that it was safe for all evacuees to return to their homes.
Further details will be shared as they become available.