The blaze broke out on Saturday at the Robinson Family Farm in Temple, Texas, which hosts festivities every fall weekend. Families, teenagers and young adults show up for the pumpkin patch, hayrides, axe throwing, music and games. Helen Robinson, who opened the farm together with her husband Brian, told Newsweek they typically see between 45,000 and 50,000 customers every fall.
“We’ve had proposals, we’ve had birth announcements, we’ve had first dates. You name it, we’ve had it,” said Robinson. “It’s just supposed to be a fun place to be and not the chaotic scene that we had this last Saturday.”
Robinson said she was inside their ice cream shop when she received a call from one of their parking lot workers. Most of the parking staff, including this employee, are in high school.
“He calls me and says Ms. Helen, there’s a fire in the parking lot, we need to call 911,” said Robinson.
Brian Robinson rushed toward the fire, so panicked that he called the police three times. Multiple other people called 911 as the monstrous blaze quickly defeated the staff’s fire extinguishers.
“Time just seemed to stop,” said Helen Robinson. “Certainly the first responders got here as quick as they could, but it just felt like it was never going to end.”
While her husband worked to protect people in the parking lot, Helen made safety announcements on their PA system. She urged customers to leave if they could do so safely, while watching for children and pedestrians amid the chaos.
“It was hard being in that room because I could only see out a window, and all I saw was flames and black smoke, and you would hear the popping noises. You know, your mind just kind of goes crazy,” she said.
After firefighters put out the flames, 73 cars were reduced to blackened rubble. Many visitors were unable to recognize their vehicles between the melted license plates and burnt doors. But thanks to the work of first responders, staff and customers who jumped into action, no life-threatening injuries were reported.
Bell County Fire Marshal Chris Mahlstedt told Newsweek that four firefighters and two civilians were treated by EMS for heat-related injuries and an anxiety attack, but all were released on the scene. Robinson and her 15-year-old son, who was close to the fire, were among those evaluated by medics for high heart rates and high blood pressure.
Although the cause of the fire is still being investigated, Mahlstedt said initial reports indicate that it may have started from “an inappropriately discarded cigarette in the parking area.”
Texas faces rapidly increasing risks from climate change threats, including extreme heat, drought, wildfires and coastal flooding. More than 18 million people in the state—or 72 percent of the population—live in areas at elevated risk of wildfire, according to America’s Preparedness Report Card.
