ABLES SPRINGS, Texas — An Ables Springs home was destroyed after a controlled burn was left unattended and quickly spread to the residence under gusty wind conditions and a county-wide burn ban, according to fire officials.
ABLES SPRINGS, Texas — An Ables Springs home was destroyed after a controlled burn was left unattended and quickly spread to the residence under gusty wind conditions and a county-wide burn ban, according to fire officials.
A firefighter was also transported to an area hospital after suffering a heat-related injury combating the fire.
The fire was reported just before 4 p.m. on Hanging Tree Road in Ables Springs — which is off of County Road 346 in between Farm-to-Market (FM) 429 and FM 2728.
The Ables Springs Volunteer Fire Department responded to the fire with mutual aid from the Terrell Volunteer Fire Department, College Mound Volunteer Fire Department, Elmo Volunteer Fire Department, and the Wills Point Volunteer Fire Department.
Kaufman County Fire Marshal Randy Richards says the homeowner and family were burning brush piles, left to go eat, and returned to their home on fire. The fire spread from the burning brush to freshly mowed grass with wind gusts estimated at 10 to 15 miles per hour, according to Richards.
A College Mound Volunteer Fire Department firefighter suffered a heat-related injury during overhaul and was transported by CareFlite ambulance to Presbyterian Hospital in Kaufman, Texas, for evaluation, according to CMVFD Public Information Officer Terry Van Sickle. The firefighter is expected to recover.
The home and contents were completely destroyed.
The brush burn was conducted despite a 90-day burn ban which was enacted by the Kaufman County Commissioners' Court on Monday.
The Kaufman County Fire Marshal's Office, Kaufman County Office of Emergency Management, and the Red Cross responded to the scene.