Fire threatens Palmview homes

NEAR PALMVIEW - A fire in an illegal dump site threatened several homes and sent families into the streets Tuesday afternoon as officials worked to contain it.

No casualties were reported, however.

The blaze marked the third time in 24 hours that emergency crews were called to the site just east of Breyfogle Road and south of Expressway 83 where thick brush covers years of accumulated trash.

It was also the second time this fire season - typically the dry months from winter to spring - that homes were threatened and evacuated due to a blaze that started in a waste-strewn, unincorporated area of Hidalgo County.

"There's a lot of (people) here that throw trash behind the houses," said resident Joe Olivarez as officials worked in his back yard to put out the fire.

The blaze burned a nearly five-acre hollow where thick brush covered discarded shingles, tires, wood, bottles and even a political campaign sign from a recent election.

Fire officials responded Monday afternoon and again that night to try to contain the fire but left when it was clear it had been contained, Palmview Fire Chief Jerry Alaniz said.

At some point Tuesday, the fire re-ignited and spread, said Tony Peña, Hidalgo County's emergency management coordinator. Officials were back on the scene at 3:30 p.m. to try to contain it.

Investigators were unsure what initially caused the fire Monday or why it flared up again Tuesday.

As of press time Tuesday, firefighters were still trying to contain remnants of the blaze. No homes had been burned.

In February, a similar situation arose near Alamo. A grass fire broke out in a field strewn with wooden pallets, destroying at least three structures and forcing hundreds of people to evacuate an unincorporated neighborhood.

Officials initially struggled to contain that blaze because of a lack of fire hydrants.

At the fire Tuesday, Alaniz said his crews had problems controlling that blaze because the nearest fire hydrant was nearly a quarter of a mile away. The area where the fire started is owned by Carlos G. Leal Land Sales. A person who answered the phone at the company's office said the owner was out of town and could not be reached for comment.

Investigators from the Hidalgo County Precinct 3 constable's office are expected to determine whether to pursue charges against the landowner for allowing the property to remain littered with trash, Peña said.

The Rio Grande Valley has been hit hard this fire season as La Niña weather conditions have brought above-normal temperatures and below-normal precipitation. High winds and low relative humidity have exacerbated the problem.

A burn ban remains in effect for Hidalgo County through July 6, despite heavy rains last week.

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Sean Gaffney covers law enforcement and general assignments for The Monitor. He can be reached at (956) 683-4434.