“Because we couldn’t get to it quickly it just took over and started to spread,” said Jack Collier, Harker Heights fire chief.

Two Texas Forest Service helicopters were brought in from Grapevine and Fredricksburg to dump water over the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers area near the lake. A spotter plane was in the air for most of the afternoon. The helicopters continually filled up with water from Stillhouse Lake and dumped it on the fires below.

“They made a tremendous impact on the fire. They were able to reach areas of this fire that were inaccessible to ground units. Bulldozers were also a tremendous help building fire breaks around hotspots,” Collier said.

Large explosions could be heard on Lakecliff Drive in Harker Heights as cedar trees near the side of the Stillhouse Hollow Lake popped as the fire consumed them. The cedar trees are dry and dying as a result of last year’s floods and this year’s drought.

“That’s what cedars do,” said Collier, from the command post set up on the corner of Lakecliff Drive and Lakecliffe Crescent. “They get hot and explode. The embers then spread out.”

The fire is believed to have started near the lake. Cause was unknown on Saturday night but Collier said he had heard reports that a campfire from Friday night had not been extinguished properly. “We had winds gusting at about 20-25 mph, which helped the fires move up the ravine.”

Residents of houses on Bella Vista Loop were told to evacuate if they wanted to. “There were no mandatory evacuations, only voluntary and some people did choose to evacuate but were able to return to their homes shortly after,” he said. “One good thing about the residents around here is that they look after their yards, they keep them green. They keep trees and brush away from their houses, so there is usually a good break between trees and houses.”

No houses were lost and we are thankful for that, Collier said. Residents were seen earlier watering down privacy fences to keep the fire away from their homes.

“The west-side strike force were called in almost immediately,” he said.

Later in the afternoon volunteers were called in from the east side of the county. Temple Fire and Rescue sent two firefighters and their booster truck.

“A lot of people did a lot of fine, hard work this afternoon. By late afternoon we didn’t need any more trucks but we did need relief for firefighters.” High temperatures added to the heat of the fire can exhaust firefighters quickly.

The Red Cross supplied water to the firefighters while they rested. Later, police and fire trucks arrived with food to help the exhausted firefighters.

The normally quiet area in Harker Heights was alive with police, firefighters, booster trucks and EMS units. “Nothing really happens down here,” Maleah Ordens, a Lakecliffe Crescent resident, said. “I think this is the most traffic we have ever seen in this area.”

“The smoke was thick up here earlier,” Yvette Ochoa, another resident, said. “We could see the flames from our houses. There was a lot of smoke coming up from the lake area and ash in the air. The wind changed direction and blew the smoke in the other direction.”

By 7:30 p.m. the fire was about 80 percent contained and Collier was certain that local departments could keep the fire under control overnight.

Checks were constantly being made on firefighters as preparations for the night watch were taking place before sunset.

At 9 p.m. firefighters started coming out of the ravine as darkness started to fall.

“We will have crews out there all night watching for hotspots that may flare up,” Collier said.

Collier said there is a burn ban in effect for Bell County and that means there should be no outside burning whatsoever. “At no time is anyone supposed to build camp fires on the Corp of Engineers property - that is an ongoing rule that is in effect out here.”

About 25 acres burned.