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Lake Corpus Christi On Fire
Posted: Nov 23, 2012 3:25 PM by Mia Gordon - mgordon@kristv.com
Updated: Nov 23, 2012 6:47 PM
MATHIS - This morning we got a call from a concerned viewer who said that Lake Corpus Christi was on fire, and sure enough when we went out there, a dried up portion of the lake in Swinney Switch Texas was in flames.
It started at around 5 yesterday evening when firefighters and residents noticed smoke coming from Lake Corpus Christi, and sure enough, there was a fire.
When I asked volunteer firefighter with the Swinney Switch fire department Alton Wright if he had ever seen anything like this before, he responded, "This is crazy. I haven't seen nothing like this. The lake bed is burning."
The flames spread overnight and now the fire is half a mile wide and two miles long.
Wright and I watched the flames from a nearby ranch and right now that's all officials can do, watch.
The fire just keeps spreading because of brush and dead trees that are burning, but firefighters can't actually go out there because the fire ground is so wet and soft, their trucks would just get stuck.
Wright told me they tried to take a four wheeler out there, "It sank to the axils. We had to drag it out with a tractor or something."
As for what started the fire in the first place, fire officials have an idea. Wright says, "They did hear some bottle rockets and fire works going off and that's priority number one. It's like a matchbox out there."
Fire fighters aren't the only one's watching the flames closely. There are plenty of homes and ranches that run along the lake, that could be in danger if the winds pick up.
Larry Wilk owns the ranch where we were watching the blaze and he says, "If it continues to burn where it is, we will be safe. But if it crosses the river, if it comes this way, then we got trouble. I've got cattle and a nice house down there. I don't want that to burn either."
In the meantime fire fighters from both Swinney Switch and George West are watching the fire and hoping mother nature would stay on their side.
They hope the winds stay calm, or they may get some rain to help the fire burn out on it's own. If this doesn't happen they may have to get outside help.
Fire officials tell us if the fire gets worse they will try and get a helicopter from San Antonio to put out the flames.
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