300-acre wildfire spreading in Bastrop County

Emergency crews are working to extinguish a quickly spreading wildfire that has prompted multiple evacuations in Bastrop County.

According to the Texas A&M Forest Service, the Rolling Pines Fire began Tuesday afternoon and has been “very active” since then. The fire grew from 150 acres to 300 acres as of 4:30 p.m. Tuesday and was zero percent contained.

Alex Bregenzer, a public information officer for Texas Forest Service, said the cause of the fire is under investigation and that the blaze is expected to continue spreading into the evening hours. So far, there have been no injuries or structures damaged, he said.

“At this point, we are still working on containment lines and other efforts to stop the fire, but it is still an active situation,” he said.

Bastrop County is just southeast of Travis County.

Residents nearby have been asked to evacuate due to the quickly spreading flames, according to Bastrop County Department of Emergency Management.

The fire was moving along Power Plant Road at 4:05 p.m., and several surrounding roads were closed as crews moved into the area to fight the fire. A temporary flight restriction was initiated at about 4:30 p.m. Tuesday so aircraft could make water and flame retardant drops over the area.

The Bastrop State Park had posted on Facebook on Monday that it would be conducting prescribed burns in the state park on Tuesday and possibly Wednesday. It posted at 11:10 a.m. Tuesday that “test ignitions have begun.”

The current evacuation areas are about 5 miles from Bastrop State Park.

No burn ban was in effect for Bastrop County on Tuesday, although the Texas A&M Forest Service tweeted midday Tuesday that wildfire danger was anticipated in the area due to “warm, dry and windy conditions” in the forecast.