Storm Brings Powerful Amounts of Fire & Water

Several storms blew through Fayette County last week, bringing welcome rain (some spots in Fayette County got over six inches of rain, but LCRA’s gauge above La Grange registered 4.01 inches) – but at times the weather proved a little too powerful.

Lightning struck a oil well storage tank Wednesday night in Winchester on Reinsch Rd, near the Bastrop County line.

Winchester Fire Chief Eddie Schneider said the initial 911 call came in as a grass fire in the area. His department responded with three trucks and nine firefighters. This occurred in the midst of the rainstorm last week, so by the time they responded the fire had mostly already gone out. Schneider said his firefighters did spray down some areas with water before leaving the scene.

The sustained rainfall – which lasted from Wednesday night through Friday afternoon – caused dangerous conditions in several low water crossings locally.

At about 2:40 p.m. Friday the Flatonia Police Department requested assistance from the Schulenburg police department in locating a vehicle, which according to the driver had left the roadway, was in rising water, could see Hwy. 90, and was next to a waterfall.

Deputies with the Fayette County Sheriff’s Office joined in the search as well. After a period of time the driver was located walking, but could not provide an accurate location for her vehicle.

Officers and deputies continued searching and ultimately located the vehicle in a culvert in the 2600 block of Hwy. 90 near FM 1295 in the Praha area.

The driver who was not injured was transported for medical evaluation. Geissen’s Towing freed the vehicle from the culvert.

Also on Friday, firefighters from Flatonia and Schulenburg responded to a lightning caused fire of a fiberglass saltwater storage tank at an oil well on FM 609 north of Flatonia.