Case Study of the 2015 Hidden Pines Wildland-Urban Interface Fire in Bastrop, Texas

Case Study of the 2015 Hidden Pines Wildland-Urban Interface Fire in Bastrop, Texas

Case Study of the 2015 Hidden Pines Wildland-Urban Interface Fire in Bastrop, Texas Karen Jackson Bastrop County Office Emergency Management ● 104 Loop 150 W Bastrop, Texas Contributions and Reviewed The following individuals contributed to the document in their personal capacity or reviewed the following document. The content expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any agency of the U.S, government or the views of any one individual contributor. Mike Fisher Bastrop County Office of Emergency Management Rich Gray Texas A&M Forest Service Greg Creacy Texas Parks and Wildlife Eric Keith Raven Environmental Services Alex Maranghides National Institute of Standards and Technology Gregory Murdoch, Monte Oaks, and John Zeitler National Weather Service Chris White Anchor Point Group LLC Cover Page Photo: Hidden Pines fire, Copyright 2015 Steven Moore. Used with permission. Contents Contributions and Reviewed ....................................................................................................................... 0 Dedications: ................................................................................................................................................ 3 Acknowledgements: .................................................................................................................................... 3 Abstract: ...................................................................................................................................................... 5 Section 1: Introduction ................................................................................................................................ 8 Section 2: Weather Summary ................................................................................................................... 11 Section 3: Fuels and Fire Behavior Indices .............................................................................................. 14 Live Fuel Moistures .............................................................................................................................................. 14 ERC and KBDI - Indicators of Problematic Fire Behavior ..................................................................................... 17 Section 4: Timeline of Fire Progression ................................................................................................... 21 Fire Progression Timeline and Map ..................................................................................................................... 23 Section 5: Concept of Operation - Command and Control: ...................................................................... 31 Section 6: Home Loss Analysis ................................................................................................................ 36 Section 7: Defensible Space Discussion ................................................................................................... 40 Section 8: Impacts to the State Park ......................................................................................................... 43 Methods ............................................................................................................................................................... 43 Results and Discussion ......................................................................................................................................... 47 Recommendations ............................................................................................................................................... 54 Section 9: Fire Plain .................................................................................................................................. 55 Fire behavior modeling ........................................................................................................................................ 57 The Hidden Pines Fire .......................................................................................................................................... 62 Anchor Point’s National Hazard and Risk Model (No-HARM) ............................................................................. 65 Bastrop County Wildfire Web Mapping Portal .................................................................................................... 66 Section 10: Conclusions and Recommendations ...................................................................................... 67 Wildland Urban Interface .................................................................................................................................... 67 Recommendations ............................................................................................................................................... 69 Appendix ................................................................................................................................................... 72 Appendix A - Fire Statistics .................................................................................................................................. 73 Appendix B - Declaration of Disaster ................................................................................................................... 75 Appendix C - Response from State ...................................................................................................................... 76 Appendix D - Home Loss Data ............................................................................................................................. 77 Appendix E - Texas Parks and Wildlife Tree Assessment Tables ......................................................................... 78 References: ................................................................................................................................................ 79 1 2 Dedications: This case study is dedicated to all of the families and citizens of Bastrop County that were impacted by the events of the Hidden Pines Fire. Their strength and courage during this challenging event allows the community as a whole to promote the resolve and determination of this county, despite overwhelming circumstances. Acknowledgements: A special note of appreciate goes out to all the first responders, sheriff’s offices, emergency management services, county officials and Texas Forest Service. Their dedication and work prevented the loss of human lives and minimal structure damage and loss. AgrilLife Extension Alamo Area Incident Management Team Aquawater Supply Corporation American Red Cross Austin Disaster Relief Network Acadian EMS Bastrop County First Responders Bastrop ESD 2 Bastrop ISD Bastrop Public Works Bluebonnet Trails MHMR Bastrop County Sheriff's Office Bastrop County Office of Emergency Management Bastrop County Long Term Recovery Team Bastrop Police Department Bastrop State Park Bluebonnet Electric Cooperation Capital Area Incident Management Team City of Bastrop City of Smithville Combined Community Action Elgin Volunteer Fire Department Florida Forest Service Giddings Volunteer Fire Department Federal Emergency Management Agency Heart of the Pines Volunteer Fire Department H-E-B Lower Colorado River Authority McDade Volunteer Fire Department MD Anderson Cancer Center Science Park National Weather Service Offices of Bastrop County Paige Volunteer Fire Department Salvation Army Southern Area Interagency Blue Team Smithville ISD 3 Smithville Police Department Smithville Volunteer Fire Department South Lee County Volunteer Fire Department Texas A&M Forest Service Texas Alcohol Beverage Commission Texas Department of Emergency Management Texas Department of Public Safety Texas National Guard Texas Parks and Wildlife TIFMAS Wildland Engine Strike and Structure Protection Teams from across the state Texas Animal Health Commission Texas Department of State Health Services Texas Department of Transportation Texas Commission on Environmental Quality University of Texas System Winchester Volunteer Fire Department 4 Abstract: This case study was commissioned by Bastrop County as a way to document events and impacts from the Hidden Pines Fire and to capture lessons learned from the event. The study focuses on Idle Acres, Spring Hollow and Turkey Run subdivisions (IASHTR) in Bastrop, effected during the Hidden Pine Fires on October 13, 2015. There were 504 structures (refers to Homestead/Year Round or Non-Homestead/Vacation per Bastrop County Appraisal District BCAD) that were within these communities impacted by road closures or home loss. Of these, 64 structures were completely destroyed and two had confirmed partial damage. Only 30% of the homeowner’s impact would be covered by insurance. Other impacts to the neighborhoods would include debris clearance, road or bridge repairs, and public utility systems throughout the area. Overall, approximately 4,582 acres would be impacted by the wildfire. Approximately, 2,162 acres within the burn scar of the Bastrop Complex Fire (September 2011) and the remaining 2,420 acres outside the footprint of the Bastrop Complex Fire. The area outside the Bastrop Complex fire burn scar would be impacted the greatest with the majority of the homes lost located in heavy unburned vegetation. Map Figure 1 shows the location of the Hidden Pines Fire in relationship to the Bastrop Complex and Wilderness Ridge Fire (February 2009) within the county. It needs to be made clear, due to misunderstanding

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