AUSTIN (KXAN) — A firefighter suffered from heat exhaustion and had to be transported to the hospital by EMS following a large fire response at Round Rock Recycling Center in northeast Travis County, Austin Fire Department Division Chief Wayne Parrish said during a media briefing on Friday.
Parrish said AFD received a 911 call around 1:30 p.m. for a fire at 9701 Brown Lane, which is the recycling center in Round Rock.
AFD called that response a “Light Box alarm.” It refers to “light box” calls for fires that may not rise to the standard for the alarm-level response, KXAN reported in 2022.
Parrish said several cardboard bails were on fire, and due to it being a recycling facility, there was a lot of plastic and other materials that caught fire in the yard.
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Austin Fire said large amounts of pallets and trash were on fire off Brown Lane the afternoon of June 6, 2025. A KXAN viewer took a photo of smoke from the fire, seen from Dungan Lane and Dessau Road. (KXAN Viewer Photo) -
Austin Fire said large amounts of pallets and trash were on fire off Brown Lane the afternoon of June 6, 2025. A KXAN viewer took a photo of smoke from the fire, seen from Dungan Lane and Dessau Road. (KXAN Viewer Photo) -
Burning pallets and trash prompted a large fire response from the Austin Fire Department on Brown Lane. (KXAN Photo Ed Zavala)
Crews had to use two fire hydrants, due to one of them having low water pressure, Parrish said. Once crews had the two hydrants, he said they had enough water to fight the fire. Additionally, he said AFD had to reach out to Austin Water to ask it to boost water pressure in the area to overcome the pressure.
As a way to keep firefighters hydrated and cool, Parrish said a rehab trailer from AFD was brought out for them. The trailer has air conditioning and electrolyte drinks for firefighters. Additionally, he said Austin-Travis County EMS provided hydration and cooling towels for crews out at the scene, and medics assisted at the trailer.
“To prepare for the heat is to enforce every day to hydrate, which extends to off time as well,” Parrish said. “It takes time to keep the body hydrated. You have to do it continuously.”
Parrish said the Travis County Fire Marshal’s Office was expected to come to the scene and determine what caused the fire.