Fearing fire, West Lake Hills residents work to ease tree, brush cutting rules

KevinFromTexas · #1 Posted **Sep 16, 2011, 7:45 AM**

http://www.statesman.com/news/local/...o-1861074.html

Quote:

Fearing fire, West Lake Hills residents work to ease tree, brush cutting rules

AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Published: 8:38 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 15, 2011

Every day, Mike Medina says, he prays someone driving on Loop 360 doesn't toss a cigarette into the Wild Basin near his West Lake Hills home, igniting a wildfire that could threaten his entire neighborhood.

For that reason, Medina and some other West Lake Hills residents are seeking to change an ordinance that prohibits homeowners from removing trees or brush from their property without city approval, lest they face a hefty fine.

"It doesn't take a genius to figure out what happened in Steiner Ranch and Bastrop could happen in West Lake Hills," Medina said. "It's imperative homeowners be able to remove fuels from around their homes."

BevoLJ · #2 Posted **Sep 16, 2011, 11:06 AM**

I hate this idea. Part of what I love about living in West Lake is the trees and wildlife. I like that the whole area is very natural. Fire is a risk. A little while ago I made a post in the weather thread about a scare we had.

Most of the people that I know that live in this area love trees. I don't know anyone who would want to cut down more trees on their properties. I did cut one down about 9 months ago, but it was a huge oak that was destroyed in a storm and had no chance of survival. It would have killed other trees and been a danger to anyone that got near it. I had to go through all of the process of getting permission of cleaning it up but that is good it stops people from clearing their properties and making the area into massive lawns and such.

DougRockstead · #3 Posted **Sep 16, 2011, 4:28 PM**

I don't think they are looking to cut down trees so much as clear out all the brush that grows at the base of the trees. That acts like kindling and creates flames that can jump up into the trees.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BevoLJ

I hate this idea. Part of what I love about living in

West Lake is the trees and wildlife. I like that the whole area is very natural. Fire is a risk. A little while ago I made a post in the weather thread about a scare we had.

Most of the people that I know that live in this area love trees. I don't know anyone who would want to cut down more trees on their properties. I did cut one down about 9 months ago, but it was a huge oak that was destroyed in a storm and had no chance of survival. It would have killed other trees and been a danger to anyone that got near it. I had to go through all of the process of getting permission of cleaning it up but that is good it stops people from clearing their properties and making the area into massive lawns and such.

llamaorama · #4 Posted **Sep 16, 2011, 5:37 PM**

Maintaining a fire safe perimeter around one's property should be mandatory.

Everyone is equally accountable because having a lot of fuel for a wildfire could affect your neighbor too.

Jdawgboy · #5 Posted **Sep 16, 2011, 11:42 PM**

Yea I think you can have natural beauty and still make sure your home is protected incase there is a wildfire.

KevinFromTexas · #6 Posted **Sep 17, 2011, 5:50 AM**

About 18 years ago my parents bought some land out in Cedar Creek. It was 4 acres. The front part of the property had a stock tank (pond) and was mostly tall Johnson Grass and a few trees. The back part of the property was heavily wooded with a large meadow in the center of the trees. The very back of the property was bordered by a creek. There were cedar trees, oaks, elms and cottonwoods and others. One of the first things we did was to clear out all the underbrush. Underbrush only happens because it's the result of animal droppings from birds or squirrels up in the trees. We left all the trees, only clearing a few of the smallest cedars for a pathway down to the creek. But we got rid of all the underbrush. It made the area in the trees a lot more enjoyable and opened it up so that you could actually see the trees and not have be blocked by bushes and vines.

Also the person who had owned the land before basically used it as a dump. There was all kinds of garbage there. We burned off the brush and whatever garbage there was that we could safely burn, and anything else was taken to the dump. We did everything we could to restore the land.

austlar1 · #7 Posted **Sep 18, 2011, 6:28 AM**

I lost my house in the Circle D section of the Lost Pines in the recent fire. I also lost two of my five dogs to the fire, and another two are still missing. The Lost Pines was so overgrown with dense underbrush, and this made the fires burn fiercly and persistenly long after the original fire storm swept through. West Lake residents would be well advised to do everything they can to reduce fire danger, especially if this drought persists. I am homeless and heartbroken about my own situation and the situation faced by several thousand other people who also lost everything. The same thing could very easily happen in West Lake.

JAM · #8 Posted **Sep 21, 2011, 6:55 PM**

That is very sad news Austlar1, very sorry to hear. Sure it doesn't have to be said, but hang in there, things will eventually get better.

MichaelB · #9 Posted **Sep 21, 2011, 7:53 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by austlar1

I lost my house in the Circle D section of the Lost Pines in the recent fire. I also lost two of my five dogs to the fire, and another two are still missing. The Lost Pines was so overgrown with dense underbrush, and this made the fires burn fiercly and persistenly long after the original fire storm swept through. West Lake residents would be well advised to do everything they can to reduce fire danger, especially if this drought persists. I am homeless and heartbroken about my own situation and the situation faced by several thousand other people who also lost everything. The same thing could very easily happen in West Lake.

Very sorry to hear about all your loses. Best thoughts your way.

KevinFromTexas · #10 Posted **Sep 22, 2011, 7:53 AM**

Wow. I'm really sorry to hear that. I'm glad you're ok, though.

DougRockstead · #11 Posted **Sep 22, 2011, 7:41 PM**

wow. Sorry to hear that terrible news. Devestating. You can't do anything about the house or the two dogs you lost, but I reall do hope you find the other two dogs.

LoneStarMike · #12 Posted **Sep 23, 2011, 10:46 AM**

I'm really sorry for your loss, austlar1. I can't even begin to imagine having to go through something like that.

KevinFromTexas · #13 Posted **Sep 23, 2011, 11:16 AM**

We almost moved to Tahitian Village about 18 years ago. I feel so bad for the people there, while at the same time being so glad we decided not to move there.

My cousin and his wife in Cedar Creek were evacuated after there were two fires just a mile from them. My cousin's wife, their son and his family around the corner evacuated. But my cousin, being stubborn as he is, refused to leave. Their neighborhood was fine. Those two fires burned around 1,000 acres and 30 homes near Texas 71. My parents used to own the property across the street from my cousin, and we also almost moved to that property.

We also have some friends in Northwest Austin near 183 and Mopac off of Duval Road. They were evacuated after a fire started inside of a warehouse on lot around the corner from them. The storage buildings were used for a business that grew plants for office buildings and other businesses. The house on that property was ok, but the two buildings burned down. That fire was right around the corner from our friends - about 300 feet from their house. Their property backs up to it and some woods. Most of the trees in that area are either dead or dying. None of the ones that are dry and brown will come back next year. Our friends said the fire department told them to get out and leave the neighborhood. They got their dogs and left in their motor home and even left their front door open to their house while firefighters were walking through it to check the brush in their backyard.

With all the dead and dying trees, I'm really wondering what will happen to them. Property owners, even if they own just a vacant lot somewhere, need to remove the dead trees. They need to be cut down, mulched and the mulch removed from the property. I hope local municipal governments also step up and remove those trees and cut limbs away from power lines.

It's important that the mulch be removed, too, because mulch when it is piled up will generate heat inside of the pile as it starts to decay. Remember that huge mulch pile fire down in Helotes near San Antonio? It burned for way over a week and they didn't even know how to put it out. Reading the news stories about it was like hearing about the Springfield tire fire. lol

austlar1 · #14 Posted **Sep 24, 2011, 5:45 AM**

Thanks to all of you for your kind words. The loss of four of my five dogs (2 dead and 2 missing) has been the worst part of this ordeal by far. I have not really registered to the loss of my home and 65 years worth of personal belongings. I am moving into Austin with the one remaining dog and looking for a small house to lease,
probably down south, maybe near Kevin's neighborhood. I have adequate homeowner's insurance and will probably be able to make the transition without going broke in the process. I really don't much care about anything except trying to get my two missing Catahoulas back or find out what happened to them.

KevinFromTexas · #15 Posted **Sep 24, 2011, 6:16 AM**

I'm sure you've done it, but do check the shelters. The firefighters were saving a lot of animals. And oddly enough, even people who had lost everything, had their animals safe. I've heard a few stories like that. Check all the shelters. Ones in Austin and Bastrop County, but also in the surrounding communities. The shelters were really taxed and so I'm sure some of them went to other shelters.

Check out this page on Facebook. Social media can be a big help in this situation. They have photos up there of pets they've found. You may also be able to give your information about your dogs.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Urgent...888568?sk=wall

Another option is Craigslist. You can create your own ad about your dog, and also search on there. Craigslist even has a lost and found section for pets. Check these links.
http://austin.craigslist.org/laf/
http://austin.craigslist.org/pet/

One thing you can do, is on Craigslist just type in Catahoulas or Catahoula into the search. It'll pull up any ads containing those words. If there aren't any ads for the Austin area, it'll even search for surrounding areas like San Antonio and the Craigslist section for Killeen, etc.

KevinFromTexas · #16 Posted **Sep 24, 2011, 6:24 AM**

From that Bastrop County Animal shelter page:

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Do you have any catahoulas for adoption?

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No animals are up for adoption at this time. -- Carla

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Town Lake Animal Center in Austin has a few Catahoulas for adoption.

If you look in their photos section, they have photos of pets that have been rescued. There's even a photo of a catahoula.

austlar1 · #17 Posted **Sep 25, 2011, 1:42 AM**

Thanks, Kevin. I am all wired into the Facebook lost dog sites. There are several. The best comprehensive list can be found at a site called Wildfire Pet rescue. I have put up about a hundred color posters all over the area, and I was even interviewed on KEYE. Terrible interview with all the facts messed up by the interviewer. She did get me to cry on camera, which is what she wanted in the first place. I found one injured dog (later put down) on Facebook and learned about another deceased dog from somebody who saw the poster. I am still determined to find out what happened to my two beautiful Catahoula brothers, Pinky and Bruiser. It is lonely with just one dog, lonely for me and lonely for the surviving dog. He has been a pack animal for his entire 8 years. Poor guy.

I think I am moving into a place off of South First near W. Ditmar. What do you think about this neighborhood overall in terms of crime and also in terms of long term potential? I guess that is pretty off topic, but maybe you'll cut me some slack.

KevinFromTexas · #18 Posted **Sep 25, 2011, 8:14 AM**

That's a pretty decent area, especially closer to William Cannon. A little bit west of there between the train tracks, Dittmar, South First and Matthews, it's almost rural like. I'm not real familiar with that area. I live north of William Cannon near Stassney, but I do ride through there sometimes on my bike rides.

One thing I like about this area is having the fire station close by. They also have an ambulance stationed there. APD also patrols up and down William Cannon mostly because people speed on it.

Well just a little bit ago I heard a loud boom. I figured it was a transformer blowing up. The electricity never went out. I hopped on my bike and rode around a bit to check things out. There was a police car up on Sahara near Mojave. I rode around the block and then came back around to ride down Sahara. Once I was on Sahara I saw two police officers out in the street shining their flashlights up into the trees. Apparently one of the tree limbs was rubbing on a wire that goes to a streetlight at that corner. The neighbor across the street from it called 911 after the boom. I could easily hear it from our living room, and we live one street over from it.

They got there quick, probably 5 minutes or so. I heard the boom and then walked out into our backyard and then out front to the street, and back to our backyard again to grab my bike. They were already there by then.