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Fire in Leander Destroys 15 Homes

Video by YouTube user Hill Country News

Fire fighters are still snuffing out the remaining flames of a 30 acre wildfire that destroyed fifteen homes in Leander Monday.  Almost 200 homes were evacuated. 

The blaze occurred in an area off Horseshoe Drive near County Road 274, just west of State Highway 183.  You can see the area in this map.

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“It doesn’t take a big fire to have significant losses,” Texas Forest Service spokesperson April Saginor told KUT News. “We’ve seen 300,000 acre fires this fire season that haven’t destroyed many homes.”

“This was a heavily populated area, and it’s so dry outside right now that doing anything outside that could cause a spark could be very dangerous,” she said.

A cause of the blaze has not yet been determined.

One person was treated for smoke inhalation, but there were no critical injuries.  Firefighters from fourteen fire departments, including air craft and bulldozers cooperated to contain the fire.

Here are some other YouTube videos from the fire.

Nathan Bernier is the transportation reporter at KUT. He covers the big projects that are reshaping how we get around Austin, like the I-35 overhaul, the airport's rapid growth and the multibillion dollar transit expansion Project Connect. He also focuses on the daily changes that affect how we walk, bike and drive around the city. Got a tip? Email him at nbernier@kut.org. Follow him on Twitter @KUTnathan.