Pleasanton fire chief: wind-driven March fires burned hundreds of acres, destroyed structures; mutual aid used

Pleasanton Fire Chief Chambers told the City Council on March 13 that a series of wind-driven fires in early March produced very active fire behavior, required mutual aid and burned several hundred acres across county lines. Chief Chambers described March 4 as an especially severe day with low relative humidity, sustained high winds and rapidly changing conditions.

Why it matters: the incidents tested Pleasanton’s staffing, equipment and mutual-aid arrangements and resulted in structural losses and significant acreage burned, according to the chief. The account gives residents detail on local emergency-response demands and the agencies involved.

What the chief reported Chief Chambers said that on Tuesday, March 4, the department handled 13 incidents that day — seven medical responses and six fire responses — and that the department increased staffing for critical fire weather (bringing in additional firefighters and the emergency-management coordinator). He said the department’s wildland response that day covered ‘‘over 300 acres’’ in calls the department responded to, and he singled out the Duke Fire, which he said burned 244 acres at the Atascosa–Bexar County line.

Chambers: "The total incident burned 244 acres. 39 of those acres was in unincorporated Atascosa County. We lost 32 structures. Seven of those were residential. And in Bexar County, it was 205 acres and 13 structures in Bexar County." (attributed to Chief Chambers in council remarks)

Chambers explained the weather drivers: relative humidities dropped to single digits in some places (he cited a measurement of about 8% at the airport) with sustained winds of 25–35 mph and gusts to 45–50 mph on the worst day. He described equipment and staffing adjustments: weekdays typically staff one lieutenant and three firefighters; during the events the department added personnel (one example: on March 8 the department had a lieutenant and five firefighters on duty, with some working 24-hour coverage for the critical period).

Mutual aid and agencies involved Chambers described a unified command with Bexar County agencies and listed participating responders: volunteer fire departments across the county, Atascosa County precincts with heavy equipment, the county fire marshal’s office, sheriff’s office, Pleasanton Police Department, Texas Parks and Wildlife (wildlife biologist), Texas A&M Forest Service strike teams and multiple Bexar County departments. He said state mutual-aid teams staged locally and stayed in Pleasanton for two nights to support operations.

Injuries and equipment Chambers reported one firefighter treated and released for an eye injury with no lost time. He said equipment generally held up but required some repairs; his assistant chief and shop staff worked on maintenance to keep apparatus in service.

Council response and next steps Council members thanked the fire department and volunteer partners and noted another forecast of high winds. Chambers said Bexar County is hosting an after-action meeting and that Pleasanton staff will participate when scheduled. The chief asked for continued vigilance from residents during high-wind periods, and council expressed appreciation for the department’s staffing and interagency coordination.

Speakers quoted and present Quotes in this article are attributed to Chief Chambers; other participants—assistant chief Hewlett and the emergency management coordinator—were referenced by Chambers during the departmental report. Council members who thanked the department also spoke during the departmental report segment.

What the transcript does not provide The council meeting record presents voice votes (motions carried) but does not give a roll-call tally of each council member’s yes/no vote on unrelated ordinances during the meeting. Financial costs of the fire response and insurance or recovery details for structures were not provided in the departmental report.