Fire burns 150 acres near Rockdale

Multiple area fire departments battled a major fire as smoke from a controlled burn to the southwest covered the county on Thursday afternoon.

Rockdale Volunteer Fire Department responded about 1 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 10, to a major grass fire in the 700 block of CR 326. Within a half hour, they called for mutual aid from Cameron Volunteer Fire Department, Tanglewood Volunteer Fire Department, Milano Volunteer Fire Department, Black Jack Volunteer Fire Department, and the Texas A&M Forestry Service.

The fire burned 150 acres.

Rockdale Fire Chief Ward Roddam said he believe a person welding sparked the fire, which was fueled by windy, dry conditions. No one was hurt. At least six structures were threatened, though none were lost.

County residents also had to deal with massive amounts of smoke drifting into the county from a controlled burn at Bastrop State Park. The winds from the southwest pushed a huge amount of smoke northeast and into Milam County, where visibility became an issue in some areas, even hampering efforts of local fire crews battling the large fire near Rockdale.