The Fossil Creek Young Guns thought the only heat they’d experience at Cross Timbers Park Saturday afternoon would be coming from the pitcher’s mound.
They said they were pretty startled when they looked a few feet beyond the baseball field and saw fire.[[331888351,R]]
“The flames started getting pretty high,” said George Vegas, President of the Fossil Creek Little League. “So [firefighters] had us evacuate the field and go to the parking lot.”
The North Richland Hills Fire Department arrived on scene just after 1:20 p.m. and began attacking the fire, which scorched about 15 acres of a wooded area just east of the baseball fields.
About a half-dozen outside agencies were called in to help them.
“There wasn’t any high wind, but it did change frequently on us,” said Battalion Chief Eddy Wood with the North Richland Hills Fire Department. “So that kind of gave us some trouble.”
Crews were able to contain the fire within about 45 minutes. They spent the next several hours extinguishing the flames and mopping up hot spots.
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“It was a pretty significant fire,” said Wood. “With some of the improvements around the property though, it kept it contained and from jumping out of the lines.”
Those improvements include sprinkler systems on the north end of the park and a dirt trail along the south end of the wooded area, which acts a natural fire line and gives firefighters easy access to the area.
None of the baseball facilities or any nearby homes were damaged by the fire. It did, however, force the Fossil Creek Little League to cancel two games that were scheduled for Saturday afternoon.
“It’s a beautiful Saturday afternoon,” said Vegas. “We want to play baseball, but it is what it is.”
They did get the all clear to play a game at 6:00pm. And at the end of the day, they say they’re thankful no one was hurt.
“We can play baseball anytime,” said Vegas. “Obviously the children’s safety comes first.”
The cause of the fire remains under investigation.
