Illegal burn gets away, destroys houses

There is a burn ban on in Tarrant and Parker counties. Here’s why:
Azle, Briar, LaJunta, Reno, Pelican Bay, Lake Worth, Saginaw and other fire departments were required to put out a blaze in Briar last week that started out as a pile of burning trash, according to Tarrant County deputy fire marshal Mike Rehfield.

It took firefighters four hours to extinguish the fire.

Three unoccupied mobile homes were destroyed and a site-built house damaged. One man, unidentified in the report, was treated by Azle paramedics at the scene and released.

Firefighters may have been hampered initially by faulty information and lack of manpower, firefighters at the scene said last week.

On-duty Azle firefighters were first to arrive at the scene, which was reported as an possible illegal burn. As Azle was en route to the fire, the incident was recategorized because fire had spread into grass. Before Azle arrived, the incident was recategorized a second time, to a structure fire.

Briar volunteers were delayed by lack of manpower, according to radio transmission during the incident.

Azle Lt. Steve Lemming requested additional manpower before they arrived, based on the visibility of a large amount of black smoke, according to the department’s incident report.

Azle arrived at the scene with a tanker truck for water supply and the department’s brush truck. Briar arrived with an engine. LaJunta and Reno volunteers were among the next group of firefighters to arrive, both in brush trucks.

Reno’s equipment wasn’t suitable for a structure fire, chief Jimmy Boone said at the scene.

LaJunta and Azle worked on opposite sides of the blaze, with Briar’s engine and Azle’s tanker also applying water to the buildings.

Both Parker and Tarrant County currently ban outdoor burning due to dry weather conditions. The Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office cited an unidentified man for the illegal burn, Rehfield said.

It could have been worse, according to Tarrant County fire marshal Randy Renois.

“We’re lucky there wasn’t any wind that day,” he said this week. “That fire could have really spread fast” in the heavily wooded and densely populated area near Eagle Mountain Lake.

Tarrant County’s burn ban is effective until March 15 but Rehfield expects it to be extended beyond that time. Authorities are taking a hard line on violators of the ban, he said.

“Unless we give tickets, people are going to keep doing this,” he said. The ticket can be $500, but the Rucker Street resident thought it would be okay to burn because of recent rainfall.

Rehfield noted that the ban is not lifted because of one rainy day.

“I feel for him, he pointed out green grass” growing in a nearby park, Rehfield said.
By Gail Gilmore, The Azle News