Athens and area fire departments work to put out blazes

|

The Athens Fire Department was already fatigued from two structure blazes when a large grass fire erupted on Commercial Drive Friday. AFD responded to the blaze at about 3 p.m. and fought the flames for about two hours before extinguishing the fire. The spread of the fire was aided by high wind, Captain Brandon Blue said.

“When they arrived it involved about two acres and spread to about 25 before it was out,” Blue said. “It threatened five homes on the west side of Farm-to Market Road 1616.” AFD sent several vehicles to the fire, including three pumper trucks and a brush truck. Mutual aid came from the Texas Forestry Service, as well as fire departments from Murchison, Brownsboro, North 19 Fire Rescue, Shady Oaks and Baxter.

Blue said 25-acre fires are rare in Athens. “The city has grown up such that there are not a whole lot of wide open spaces that large,” he said.

July is often a troublesome time for firefighters in the area, and several fires were reported in the county over the weekend.

Blue said conditions are dry — but not abnormally so — for this time of year.

“We actually had a large rain in the middle of June that helped a lot,” Blue said. “The fourth of July wasn’t quite as bad as we expected. We had a few spot fires, but nothing major.”

Sunday was a busy day for firefighters throughout the county. Henderson County Sheriff’s Department dispatch recorded calls from all sections of the county. The largest — on Farm-to-Market Road 314 — required the services of the Brownsboro and Murchison volunteer fire departments.

Dry conditions have prompted commissioner courts in Navarro and Anderson Counties to implement burn bans. Henderson County commissioners have not discussed a ban recently. The county was under a burn ban from Feb. 11 to March 17, but a week of heavy rains removed the threat.

Henderson County Fire Marshal John Holcomb monitors the Keetch-Byrum Drought Index which rates the amount of moisture in the soil. After the March rains, the county was in the blue, or wettest category. Monday, the county was in the third driest of the seven categories.

According to the Texas Forest Service triple-digit temperatures and lack of rain are causing wildfire activity to increase across the state. The TFS has issued a list of precautions that can protect your home in the event of a blaze.

• Propane tanks should be far enough away from buildings for valves to be shut off in case of a wildfire. Keep the area around the tank clear of flammable vegetation.

• Store gasoline in an approved safety can away from buildings.

• Be sure all combustibles, such as firewood, wooden picnic tables, boats and stacked lumber should be kept away from structures.

• Clear roof surfaces and gutters regularly to avoid build-up of flammable materials such as leaves and other debris.

• Remove branches from trees to a height of 15 feet or more.

• In rural areas, clear a fuel break of at least three times the fuel length around all structures.

• Keep tools, such as a ladder long enough to reach your roof, shovel, rake and buckets for water nearby.

• Place connected garden hoses at all sides of your home for emergency use.

• Make sure your family has an emergency evacuation plan.

• Know all emergency escape routes from your neighborhood.

By Rich Flowers News Editor: Athens Daily Review

____________________________________________
Firefighters Run Out of Water at Structure Fire

A home near Lake Athens caught fire Friday afternoon and burned almost to the ground. The Athens Fire Department was called to the Lake Front Shores subdivision where the home of Gary and Lynda Espy was fully engulfed in flames.

“I heard a popping sound near the north end of the house and I thought it was someone outside popping fireworks,” Mr. Espy said. “I was really just going outside to see who it might be when I smelled smoke.”

He said he smelled a lot of smoke and decided he better call 9-1-1.

By the time the trucks arrived, fire was coming from the roof and the front of the home.

“The last few days I have been noticing the pool pump getting very hot, but I just thought it was because it was so hot outside,” Espy said. “I really don’t know where it (the fire) might have started.”

The Brownsboro Fire Department assisted with the blaze. Mixed with the heat, the blaze caused firemen to get overheated and in need of medical attention.

Then it only got worse.

“We’re out of water,” a Brownsboro firefighter said.

In fact, both departments at one point had to wait on water to be delivered from the North 19 Fire Rescue water truck.

The firefighters could only stand by while the house crumbled in flames. A neighbor with a four-wheeler and a large water tank, doused the blaze as much as possible during the 15 to 20 minutes they were waiting.

“I just really never thought anything like this would happen,” Espy said. “I guess you can just never know when something like this will happen.”

Henderson County Fire Marshal John Holcomb’s office will do a complete investigation to learn the cause of the blaze