Crews continue to fight wildfire in Bastrop County

As of 8 p.m. Friday, the Bastrop County Office of Emergency Management says the fire burned about 700 acres and is 35 percent contained. Forward progression has stopped.

BASTROP COUNTY, Texas - Crews are continuing to fight the Pine Pond Fire in eastern Bastrop County. It started Thursday afternoon near the 580 block of Old Antioch Road.

As of 8 p.m. Friday, the Bastrop County Office of Emergency Management says the fire burned about 700 acres and is 35 percent contained. Forward progression has stopped.

"There was lots of smoke, the air felt thick. We heard the fire trucks were zooming by, there were airplanes, and they were dumping the fire retardant, and then there were helicopters all over," Carmen Baker, who lives nearby, said. "Everything is good right here, but just on the other side of the treeline is where all the smoke is coming from, so that's worrisome."

There were evacutions Thursday, but those have been lifted. As of Friday afternoon, only residents could go onto the road.

Wildfire in Bastrop County burns hundreds of acres

Fire operations continue as crews work to contain the Pine Pond Fire. FOX 7 Austin's Kelly Saberi has details.

Baker's brother-in-law lives on Old Antioch Road, but neither of them had to evacuate.

"That was very nerve wrecking," she said about the uncertainty.

She does have a suitcase packed just in case.

"It's always a scary thing when there's a fire in the area, because you never know which ways the wind going to blow, and what's going to happen to us, our neighbors, our livestock, it's very scary," she said.

Officials say no one was hurt in the fire, and no structures were damaged. The cause has not been identified yet.

"The fuel we're currently burning in is a thick, mature, pine timber with a very heavy understory, so very heavy fuels and very dry fuels due to the extended drought we've been seeing," Rich Gray with the Texas A&M Forest Service said Thursday morning.

Evacuation order issued due to 250 acre Bastrop County wildfire

Bastrop County officials said the fire is estimated to be 250 acres with 10% containment, as of 8:10 p.m.

Crews are using dozers to dig lines around the fire. About 150 personnel are on scene.

"Crews worked all night last night, we've seen fire behavior stay very active until about 4 a.m., and we did see a reduction in that fire behavior," Gray said.

"I've lived here for four years, and there have been fires throughout that time. It's always scary, always, always," Baker said.

Officials also say it's illegal to fly your drone in the area because crews have been operating firefighting aircraft.