Dry conditions contribute to weekend fires

Scott Flowers

Recent dry conditions have contributed to fires over the past weekend, and fire departments around the county responded quickly to battle the blazes.
The Tenaha Volunteer Fire Department responded to a fire at approximately 12:14 p.m. on Sunday, June 3. Black smoke emitted from the fire could be seen as far away as Timpson. When the firemen from Tenaha arrived at the scene located at 257 Hicks Road in Tenaha they requested the assistance of the Timpson Volunteer Fire Department.
As the Timpson firemen were en route the Tenaha firemen worked to battle the fire, which engulfed a shop and a school bus that was being used for storage.
The Timpson firemen arrived at the scene and assisted the Tenaha firemen at quenching the remainder of the blaze, as SWEPCO cut the power to the overhead power lines.
According to Tenaha Deputy City Marshal Bryan Gray, the cause of the fire was due to a fire that had been started on a neighboring property located at 259 Hicks Road. The fire was left unattended and had traveled up hill to the shop and bus that was being used for storage where they caught on fire.
West Shelby Volunteer Fire Department responded to a fire located at Susie Q Cattle Company located on State Highway 7 just before the Nacogdoches County line on Saturday, June 2 at approximately 8:30 a.m.
When the firemen arrived they requested the assistance of Martinsville Volunteer fire Department who immediately responded to the scene of the fire.
A large number of round bales of hay had ignited underneath a metal barn. The firemen, and property owners worked to remove the bales of hay from the barn and to extinguish the bales.
The Tenaha Volunteer Fire Department was dispatched to a brush fire located at 380 CR 3695 on Friday, June 1 at approximately 6:30 p.m.
When the firemen arrived the fire had begun traveling into the woods at the back of the property. The fire was due to a trash fire that had gotten out of control and traveled outside of its boundaries.
The firemen quickly knocked down the fire and kept it from spreading.
As dry weather continues the risk of more fires is becoming apparent.
Without rain a burn ban is very possible to be put in place. It is very important for anyone that is considering burning to make preparations for fire control previous to burning, and that they burn small amounts at one time instead of large quantities of debris.
It is also advisable that anyone considering burning wait until there is rainfall.