There was a scare for Prairie View trail riders Monday afternoon when a fire broke out where they had set up camp.
One person was treated at the scene for smoke inhalation but there were no serious injuries.
All horses were moved to safety.
The trail riders had stopped for the day at Kilpatrick Place at 22063 and FM 1098 in Prairie View. They were enjoying a chili cookoff when the fire started.
“Somebody yelled ‘Fire!”, we saw smoke and within seconds, the fire was spreading,” said KHOU 11’s Blake Mathews, who was spending the day with the trail riders.
A couple of witnesses said the fire started near a barbecue grill. The combination of wind and dry grass helped it spread quickly.
At least one car was destroyed by the flames. The fire also threatened a nearby camper and a pickup but they were able to move them out of the way in time.
Before firefighters arrived, trail riders used small fire extinguishers, buckets of water, ice chests and dirt to try and put out the blaze.
Volunteer firefighters from Prairie View, Waller and Hempstead finally brought the fire under control after a couple of flareups.