CORPUS CHRISTI, TX — Last Thursday, the Nueces County ESD #2 posted a video to their Facebook page about a small fire that had started in a remote southside location.
The location appeared to be a back alley in the area of Waldron Road and Yorktown Boulevard.
"Looked like someone was burning insulation off wiring, so it was intentional," Corpus Christi Fire Chief Dale Scott said.
Scott says the fire was extinguished quickly, but he was surprised to see the amount of trash that was surrounding the area.
He said he immediately called the Flour Bluff Citizens Council to take a look and focus on a spot that needed some attention from illegal dumping.
Joe Kramer with the Flour Bluff Citizens Council says they have started a new program called, "Respect FB," focusing on the health, safety and the environment of the Flour Bluff community.
He says he has concerns with the amount of trash and bulky items that were left in the area that the small fire took place.
"Had not a lot of this trash been out here or other people that are just hoarding materials, that fire would not have happened," Kramer said.
He also says that if the fire had became worse, it would have reached the land of brush that is just a few feet away.
Kramer says the brush is so thick it would have overtaken the area and firefighters would have a hard time fighting the fire because of it.
Residents in the area should report if they see someone illegally dumping trash because "illegal dumping is a blight on our community," Kramer said.
"It's something that we fight to make sure that it doesn't turn into an ugly situation."
KRIS 6 contacted the City of Corpus Christi about this area. Officials said it is private property and code enforcement has been made aware.
Kramer says he noticed illegal dumping decreased when there were more opportunities for Litter Critter in the area.
As of 2019, the City of Corpus Christi says Litter Critter made it to Flour Bluff five times.
In 2020, they will make visit the area four times, the first happening occurring on March 7.
Litter Critter collected 52 tons of brush, bulky items, tires and appliances from Flour Bluff alone in 2019.
