FREDERICKSBURG, Texas – Updated at 6:52 p.m. Sunday.
The Crabapple Fire in Gillespie County has burned 9,500 acres and is 55% contained, according to the City of Fredericksburg and Texas A&M Forest Service.
Multiple fire departments and crews from across the region, state and nation started battling the large fire at 1:45 p.m. on Saturday in the 8700 block of Lower Crabapple Road, north of Fredericksburg.
The size of the area grew by nearly 1,000 acres on Sunday. The affected area stretches from Lower Crabapple to Farm-to-Market Road 1631.
“Crews worked throughout the night battling active fires and flare ups,” Fredericksburg Fire Chief Lynn Bizzell said in a press release. “They have held the progress of the fire at FM 1631. This morning, TDEM and Texas A&M Forest Service aircraft are supporting efforts on the ground as we continue to work on containment and protect structures.”
Texas A&M Forest Service teams have completed a containment line stretching from Highway 16 North to FM 1631.
The release states that on Sunday, crews will work to create a containment line from Highway 16 North to Lower Crabapple Road on the left flank and southern side of the fire.
“Overnight crews were able to work on containment line ... as the day progresses, they’re expected to get some more containment line put in around the fire, and hopefully we’ll see that number go up today,” Kiley Moran, a Texas A&M Forest Service spokesperson, told KSAT on Sunday.
“With a fire of this size, it’s most likely going to be several days before it gets to 100%” contained," he said.
No injuries have been reported. Numerous structures have been destroyed, and “more are still threatened,” the release from the City of Fredericksburg states.
There are no air quality concerns at this time.
“Crews are monitoring the weather, because increasing wind speeds become a concern throughout the day,” the release added.
Update: the #CrabappleFire in Gillespie County is an estimated 8,640 acres and 40% contained. On the left flank, fireline is finished from Highway 16 to CR 1631. Engine crews continue structure protection. Firefighters continue to build line and increasing containment. #txfire
— Incident Information - Texas A&M Forest Service (@AllHazardsTFS) March 16, 2025
In a Facebook post at 5:41 a.m. Sunday, the Fredericksburg Fire EMS said that on the left flank, the fireline was completed from Highway 16 to Country Road 1631.
“Engine crews continue structure protection. Firefighters continue to build line and increasing containment,” the post read.
On Saturday, officials said the fire was moving east to southeast.
“Thankfully, the wind has subsided in the Texas Hill Country and our crews are working to stop the forward progress of the Crabapple Fire,” Bizzell said in a press release Saturday.
Shelter opens amid evacuations
Gillespie County Judge Daniel Jones on Saturday issued a declaration of disaster, allowing officials to evacuate, close roads and control ingress and egress as needed, the city said.
On Saturday, the Fredericksburg Fire EMS said anyone between Highway 16 North and FM 1631 and between Ranch Road 1323 and Ranch Road 2721 should be prepared to evacuate.
The evacuations are on a home-by-home basis.
In an update from the City of Fredericksburg on Sunday, officials said they “do not have an estimation on the people evacuated or displaced at this time.”
For anyone who has been displaced, a shelter through the Red Cross is available at Zion Lutheran Church, located at 426 W Main St. in Fredericksburg.
Food, water and other supply donations are not needed as of Sunday morning.
Street closures in the area
A news release states there are two road closures as of Sunday morning:
- State Highway 16 North from the Knopp School Road to Eckert Road
- Eckert Road from Lower Crabapple Road to 16 North
People are asked to avoid the area.
“People in the area should listen to crews on the ground about evacuations. Anyone who has been evacuated should not return at this time,” the release states.
Windy conditions fueled the fire, Texas A&M Forest Service says
Moran told KSAT Saturday that the wind made it difficult to control the wildfire.
Moran indicated that windy conditions are expected to persist over the next few days and urged the public to help prevent potential fire hazards.
“Please don’t do anything that may cause heat or spark so that these wildfires don’t happen,” Moran said. “Because as we’ve seen, they grow very quickly.”
The City of Fredericksburg previously said Central Texas Electric cut the power to the fire-affected area as a precaution.
Kendall County has sent crews from Alamo Springs, Sisterdale, Boerne and the Kendall County Emergency Management Office to fight the flames.
The Boerne Fire Department is also assisting crews at the scene.
This is a developing story. KSAT will update you once more information becomes available.
