No people were injured, but three pets were killed following a large fire that gutted the iconic Cypress Creek Cafe on the Wimberley Square early Tuesday.
Dennis Gutierrez, Hays County Sheriff’s Office public information officer, said authorities are still investigating the blaze which caused an estimated $750,000 in damage.
Gutierrez said the Wimberley Volunteer Fire Department received initial reports of a structure fire on the Square around 1:55 a.m. Tuesday.
The owners of the cafe, who lived on the second floor of the structure, heard smoke detectors go off and evacuated the building. However, the couple was unable to collect their dog and two cats, which died in the fire.
When Wimberley fire officials observed flames shooting out of the side alley windows of the Cypress Creek Cafe when they arrived on scene at 2:07 a.m.
A call for mutual aid was made with the North, South Hays Fire Rescue, along with the Kyle Fire and San Marcos Fire Departments assisting. In total, 35 firefighters assisted with the blaze.
Fire crews attempted to attack the fire from the interior, but a large explosion four minutes after they entered forced firefighters to retreat from the building and “go into a defensive posture,” Gutierrez said. Authorities are also investigating the cause for the exposition.
The fire was contained around 4:30 a.m. The building was deemed a “total loss,” with damage collapsing toward the middle of the concrete structure, Gutierrez said. He added the business closed at midnight Tuesday.
No other businesses were damaged by smoke or fire.
How to help
A Gofundme account has been set up by community members to help in the recovery effort. Contribute at www.gofundme.com/friends-of-cypress-creek-cafe
“This is a mainstay in Wimberley. It’s a tragic loss for everybody in the community,” Gutierrez said. “There have been a lot of music events and crawfish boils there … it’s a loss to the Wimberley community.
Chrissy Neal, a 16-year Wimberley resident who works with the Wimberley Valley Radio, said she had a “pit in her stomach” when she heard the Cypress Creek Cafe had been destroyed.
She said it was hard to believe the business had been damaged and said the experience being at the site was “surreal.”
“Everyone knows where Cypress Creek is,” Neal said. “Everybody’s hung out there at some point and everybody’s been there at some point, whether local or tourist.”
However, Neal said she expects the community to pull together and help, much like they’ve done in several crisis over the years.
“I’ve never seen a place come together like Wimberley does,” Neal said. “They got through the Ace Hardware fire, and through the horrible flooding two years ago. They’ll come through for this and come through for this family.”
