While many Flower Mound residents were celebrating a new year last weekend, Flower Mound firefighters were busy protecting a piece of the town's past.


Firefighters battled a grass fire around 11:30 p.m. Saturday at The Flower Mound, located near the intersection of FM 2499 and FM 3040.

The Flower Mound, which the town is named after, features 12.76 acres of more than 175 species of wildflowers.

Fire Chief Eric Metzger said about one-fourth of the historic mound was burned, though there were no injuries.

Despite reports that fireworks were the cause of the fire, Metzger said that hasn't been confirmed.

"We're hearing third-hand that a couple of kids were up there right before it happened," Metzger said. "But that's really about all we know now. There is plenty of talk about it, but we really can't be sure at this point. Since this is a protected area, there aren't any power lines over there. So it's doubtful that this was an accident. It had to have been caused by humans."

Metzger said it will be hard to find out exactly what happened unless someone who was there at the time comes forward.

Firefighters from three of the town's stations helped battle the fire, bringing three brush trucks and two fire engines. Grapevine also brought an engine to help fight the fire that was made worse by windy conditions.

"There were heavy winds, so we had to protect the structures to the east of the mound," Metzger said. "The fire actually got within 25 feet from one of the homes."

Metzger also said that since the mound is preserved, there isn't a lot of maintenance that takes place there, which allows the grass to get high.

He said once the area gets wet again, winter grass will start setting in.

In the meantime, residents have spent the last couple of days walking the mound to examine the damage, which Metzger said is a sign of the historical significance The Flower Mound has.

While fire officials are unsure of the cause of the mound fire, they are more confident that fireworks started a fire on the east side of town on the same night.

At roughly the same time Saturday, firefighters were called to fight a grass fire on Stone Crest Drive, just south of FM 407 in east Flower Mound.

Metzger said he believes someone from that neighborhood shot off bottle rockets, which landed in a homeowner's front yard, starting a fire that burned the whole yard.

Metzger said officials couldn't find the people who shot off the bottle rockets or any remains of other fireworks.

"They must have picked them up as soon as they shot them," he said.

Metzger said that was the only confirmed fireworks-related fire in Flower Mound that night, though he said there were several others throughout Denton County.

There were no injuries in the Stone Crest fire.

"The homeowners were actually having a toga party, so Julius Caesar was out there with a hose trying to put the fire out," Metzger said.