The Crabapple Fire near Fredericksburg is nearly 8,640 acres, and is now 40% contained.
Courtesy: Gillespie County Sheriff’s Office
The large fire near Fredericksburg is finally getting some relief with the latest update on containment, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service on early Sunday, March 16. Fredericksburg Fire Emergency Medical Services provided an update on its Facebook page at about 5:33 a.m. Sunday morning about the Crabapple Fire that has impacted about 8,640 acres of land in the area.
“The (Crabapple Fire) in Gillespie County is an estimated 8,640 acres and 40% contained,” Fredericksburg Fire EMS said in the post. “On the left flank, fireline is finished from Highway 16 to CR 1631. Engine crews continue structure protection. Firefighters continue to build line and increasing containment.”
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The Crabapple fire began impacting the area on Saturday, March 15, while a Red Flag warning was in effect due to 45-mph winds in most of that State of Texas. Departments from across Gillespie County responded to the large fire in the 8700 block of Lower Crabapple, about an hour from San Antonio, around 1 p.m. on Saturday, according to the Facebook post. Smoke was reportedly visible in Fredericksburg and the Texas A&M Forest Services was reporting the fire was at 400 acres in size when it initially began to spread. The initial spread of the fire caused evacuations in the area.
Fire crews in Gillespie County are fighting a 400-acre fire near Fredericksburg.
Fredericksburg Fire Department
The number of acres being impacted rose to 8,640 in just a few hours after the initial information on the fire was released on Saturday afternoon heading into Saturday night, before Sunday morning’s update about containment.
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Gillespie County Judge Daniel Jones issued a declaration of disaster Saturday night, which allowed officials to evacuate residents, close roads and control ingress/egress as needed, according to Fredericksburg Fire EMS.
Earlier this month, a fast-spreading wildfire near San Antonio’s Southeast side led to mandatory evacuations for residents in the area. The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office also assisted with blocking areas off due to the spreading fires in South Bexar County, including I-37 near Southton Road and Duke Road.
March 16, 2025
