An Austin firefighter stands beside the department’s truck as a tractor helps control the spread of fire in a manure-covered field north of Road 70N on May 29, 2025. The fire started from spontaneous combustion in compost. Facebook/Austin Fire Department
The Austin Fire Department is reminding residents that fires can start from almost anything, following a grass fire Thursday afternoon just north of Road 70N along Highway 34.
Crews were dispatched around 12:31 p.m. on May 29 to reports of a fire in a field where cattle had been wintered.
Members of the Austin Fire Department survey scorched ground after extinguishing several small fires in a cattle-wintered field on May 29, 2025. No structural damage was reported. Facebook/Austin Fire Department
Fire traced back to heated compost
Upon arrival, firefighters found several small fires burning in a cluster.
The department says the source was determined to be heated compost left in the field.
With help from the landowner, the fire was contained before it could spread further.
No damage to surrounding property was reported.
A tractor works the edge of a smouldering area where grass fires broke out near Highway 34 on May 29, 2025. The Austin Fire Department says overheated compost likely caused the ignition. Facebook/Austin Fire Department
Be fire smart, fire crews urge
“Fires can start from just about anything,” the department noted in a social media post.
The fire department is asking residents to take extra care during dry conditions and keep an eye on organic materials like compost, which can heat up and ignite under the right conditions.
A firefighter with the Austin Fire Department monitors the scene after responding to a grass fire north of Road 70N along Highway 34 on May 29, 2025. Multiple small fires ignited from overheated compost in a recently manured field. Facebook/Austin Fire Department
