By Moses Leos III

Of all the antique signs Evan Voyles owns in a warehouse outside of Uhland, one rusted relic stands out above the rest.  

For Voyles, who once owned the Prairie Schooner Antique Shop, the sign signifies one of the few surviving items from the Buda Main Street Fire of 1994. It’s been 20 years this month since that fire destroyed four shops along the town’s main thoroughfare.

“It basically wiped out what I did for a living,” Voyles said. “I was out of the antiques business overnight.”

Late on the night of July 10, a fire broke out in the attic of a glassblowing shop on 220 Main Street, on the corner of Ash St.

The faulty wiring that started the blaze was responsible for significant damage. 

Four businesses — The Prairie Schooner, Poor Richard’s Antiques Shop, Buda Women’s Club Boutique and the glassblowing business housed in the old Ferguson service station — lost everything. None had insurance. 

Buda’s “big fire” spread quickly due to the common roof all four businesses shared. The structure, which was built in 1915 by W.C. Barber, had no fire blocks, as Buda had no fire code.  

Seeing that the fire was moving “with complete impunity,” Voyles tried his best to save his possessions, including a priceless collection of cowboy boots. However, firefighters prevented him from going back inside. 

April Bederman, who lived in the third story at 212 Main Street, got a view few others witnessed.

“I could see the beams through the roof. The fire was really hot,” Bederman said. “The metal was glowing red. It was so hot, you could see through the corrugated roof.”

The fire was noticeable for then Buda Volunteer Fire Department (BVFD) Fire Chief Chuck Lewis and Clay Huckaby, a 16-year-old rookie with the BVFD. Huckaby is now the fire chief. Back then, he was a high school kid.

Both witnessed an ominous orange glow that was visible from several miles north of Buda. They didn’t realize how much of a fight they were in for. 

“I can remember when [Assistant Fire Chief] Mark Coops drove by and said (on the radio), ‘We’re in trouble,’” Lewis said. 

Despite the firefighters’ best effort, the blaze grew more intense. As the fire burned, the danger also grew. Lewis feared he had lost three responders, including future Kyle Fire Chief Glen Whitaker. 

The intensity of the conflagration culminated to a backdraft. 

Caught in the line of fire was Huckaby, who was trying to run fire hose through what is now Nona Gina’s Restaurant. 

“The gentlemen I was working with punched out the window of the front door to unlock it,” Huckaby said. “As soon as he did that, it sucked in enough oxygen and that caused a backdraft.” 

“It sounded like someone shot off a cannon,” Voyles said. “It was very cataclysmic.”

The subsequent explosion catapulted Huckaby 30-feet onto Main Street; he was transported to the hospital with first-degree burns and smoke inhalation.

Despite the episode, Huckaby was undeterred from continuing a career in firefighting. He followed in his own father’s footsteps.

More than two dozen firefighters were treated by emergency medical technicians that night; many suffering from dehydration. 

Eventually, the blaze was extinguished with help from neighboring fire departments. Firefighters also got help in the form of  cherry pickers provided by Pedernales Electric Cooperative (PEC). 

But the damage was done. Little survived the inferno. 

“It was just a sad scene, it looked like a war scene,” Bederman said. “It was totally charred and black and gray.” 

It took the city nearly two years to rebuild. By that time, all of the former business owners had left town. 

For Voyles, the experience ironically ushered a new beginning. He drew inspiration from his surviving antique neon signs. He soon opened Neon Jungle in Austin, where he has helped design many of the neon fixtures that adorn South Congress Avenue. 

“That fire was one of the best things that happened to me,” Voyles said. 

The paths for Lewis and Huckaby would intertwine over the years. Lewis stepped down as Fire Chief in 1995. Less than a decade later, Huckaby assumed the role. Since then, the BVFD expanded into a paid fire department. Huckaby oversaw the creation of the Emergency Service District No. 8, and fire codes, adopted in 2008. 

Lewis continues to laud the community’s assistance during the fire — an event he’ll never forget. 

“It’s hard to believe it’s been 20 years,” Lewis said. “I can still hear things and smell stuff (from that night) to this day.”