73 cars destroyed in a fire at a Texas pumpkin patch

Over the weekend, the Robinson Family Farm in Temple, Texas, held one of its three regular annual events, a Fall Festival with the fan favorite pumpkin patch. The day didn’t go as planned after a fire started in the field of dry grass where visitors parked their cars, consuming 73 vehicles, some of them reduced to wheels and scraps of charred metal.

One attendee on Facebook wrote, “I have to say that is the most exciting and expensive pumpkin patch we’ve been to” after their family van “burned to a crisp.”

The Bell County Fire Marshall’s Office suspects the fire started when someone threw a cigarette into the grass. Fire Marshall Chris Mahlstedt wrote on Facebook, “We are seeking information on a possible person who may have discarded a cigarette into the grassy parking area. There have been some comments made on multiple social media posts stating there may have been witnesses to this claim.”

The good news is no one was injured. Farm owner Helen Robinson thanked a supportive community and says it will take time to get the place back in order. She told local channel KXAN, “We still want to be the Robinson Family Farm that everybody knows and loves. Be patient with us as we work through that.” The farm is trying to open again this weekend, and has taken several steps to give attendees the October experience everyone wanted, such as by keeping the pumpkin patch open an additional weekend. KXAN said the farm is also “accepting donations of car seats and other needs for the attendees who lost their vehicles in Saturday’s fire.”

Drought conditions in the area have Bell County under a burn ban, a decision the Fire Marshall’s Office posted about at the end of last month. Gusty winds worked with the dry grass to spread the fire through the assembled cars. The Bell County fire marshal and Sheriff’s Department are continuing to investigate.