Historic Tower In Austin Texas Catches Fire – Homeless Camp Reportedly To Blame

TX – Reports say that a historic landmark in Downtown Austin, TX was ablaze after a fire broke out at a nearby homeless camp. City officials are voicing their displeasure online regarding current conditions in the city, as the Buford Tower sustained major fire damage.

See the Twitter post with more information on the story from @fox7austin below.

The ravaging fire seems to be sparking up another conversation that has been going around in Austin for a while, as homeless camps continue to be prevalent across the Downtown area.

More footage from @AustinFireInfo below.

According to reports, the Austin Fire Department said that the historic tower sustained fire damage after a fire broke out at a nearby homeless camp. The Buford Tower sits just off of Lady Bird Lake in Downtown Austin and was previously used as a fire drill tower.

One Austin city official voiced her displeasure with the camp sites that were set up in the area where the fire took place. See a Twitter post from City Council Member @mkelly007 below.

She added more thoughts and also gave history on the Buford Tower.

According to Kelly, the tower has stood in Texas’ capitol for 90 years and serves as a landmark in the city.

As a former resident of Austin, I have passed this tower hundreds of times. It’s pretty impossible to miss if you go into Downtown Austin and sticks out as a very old building surrounded by the modern architecture that makes up the Downtown area.

It is also pretty impossible to miss the homeless camps that are around the Downtown area. There are resource centers for this issue throughout Austin, but from my personal experience those centers seem to serve more as lending hand rather than a long-term solution for those that are experiencing homelessness in the area.

Hopefully, the damage sustained by the historic Buford Tower can be somewhat repaired. This landmark is important to the city of Austin and it would be a terrible loss if no salvaging can be done.

Curious to see some sights from around the Lafayette area back in the day? Just scroll on below.