Hudson Fire: First responders evacuate dozens as fire reaches 400 acres

BASTROP COUNTY, Texas - The Hudson Fire east of Bastrop has engulfed 400 acres as of Sunday, November 3.

As of Monday, Nov. 4, fire management is lifting the evacuation notice for residences along Gotier Trace Road and homes off of Park Road 1C between Alum Creek and Cottletown, except for the homes off of Pines Park Drive.

"Pretty nervous," said resident Will Sellers. "Definitely more concerned about them than the material stuff over there."

Three dogs and two goats are less than a mile up the road, now blocked off by first responders.

"I have no idea if they're safe," said Sellers. ‘I came up here from work, and they're not letting anyone through since it's just an evacuation, I just heard about it as soon as I got to work."

His house is one of at least forty that the Bastrop County Office of Emergency Management is asking people to evacuate. 

"Oftentimes, in Texas, we don't have a lot of notification, a lot of lead time before we evacuate," said Kari Hines, a public information officer for the Texas A&M Forest Service. "Planning for evacuations with livestock really has to be something that we do long before the fire ever starts."

The Hudson fire started just south of Park Road 1 C around noon on Sunday and quickly engulfed 400 acres in just four hours. 

"The fire is burning quite actively, and when I say that I mean it's moving quite quickly, and the flames that it's producing are extremely long," said Hines.

It is the perfect storm for a dangerous fire.

"This wind, the dry weather, the low humidity, the fact that we haven't gotten any rain in over a month is all leading up to a higher fire danger," said Hines.

Dead tree limbs poke out of a nearby field watching helicopters circle the fire.

It's a bit of déjà vu for this area.

"This is an area that has been impacted by multiple wildfires over the last 15 years and because of that there's a lot of fuel on the ground, dead materials from the last fires to burn," said Hines.

The Hudson Fire is eerily close to the 2011 Bastrop County Fire, which destroyed almost 1700 structures. First responders are focused on keeping this one contained and will fight the winds as long as they have to.

"We'll be very concerned for public safety and firefighter safety throughout the evening," said Hines.

The Bastrop County Animal Services is activating its emergency response team and setting up a shelter at Mayfest Park. The Bastrop County AgriLife Extension is also at the park helping with livestock assistance. For questions, they ask people to call 512-549-5160.

The Smithville Recreation Center is operating as a shelter for residents without animals.

Sellers later updated FOX 7 Austin and shared that he was able to rescue his dogs and goats on Sunday afternoon.