TX Officials: Lawn Mower Sparked $6M Blaze That Destroyed Homes

Maggie Eastland,

The Dallas Morning News (TNS)

1. Twenty six Balch Springs homes were affected, and nine were destroyed.

Flames reached 26 homes along Broadview Drive in a Balch Springs neighborhood Monday afternoon, leaving dozens without a home. Nine homes are known to be a total loss, and that number may grow. The blaze caused about $6.06 million in property damage.

“Lost everything. Just everything,” said homeowner Miguel Quinonez, who had lived in the house with his wife for almost 14 years.

Residents who were inside their homes when the fire spread were grateful to make it out unscathed.

“When I went and opened the back door, the fire hit my face,” said Roberto Pinero, whose recently-remodeled home of 13 years was destroyed.

Wanda Blanchette-Ware had to wake her son by banging on his window as the fire approached her home.

“Honey, there’s a fire, please get up!” she said.

The affected homes are near Mackey Elementary school in Balch Springs, a town of 25,000 people just southeast of Dallas. Figures from the Dallas Central Appraisal District showed that the homes were built around 2005 and appraised in the mid-$200,000s.

Balch Springs firefighters helped residents comb through debris for possessions.

The city worked with the Red Cross to set up an overnight shelter at a city recreation center. Some hotels were to house residents and their pets for a longer period of time. Residents whose homes weren’t damaged can remain in the neighborhood.

2. The fire started with a lawnmower in a grass field.

Workers were mowing a field at the northwest corner of Interstate 20 and South Belt Line Road when the fire started, according to Balch Springs Fire Marshal Sean Davis. Officials are still investigating whether anyone is at fault.

“It’s happening in a lot of places, just people cutting hay or grass or something, and they’re clipping something they didn’t see, and it’s starting a fire and then traveling like crazy,” Davis said.

Code enforcement crews are examining fields and other areas to look for fire hazards and warned that people mowing high grass should have a spotter with them to look for fires, he said.

3. The city repeatedly asked the field owners to mow the grass.

Mountain Express, the company that owns the field, received two requests from city code enforcement employees in recent months, followed by a citation to appear in court, Davis said. That’s why workers were mowing the field Monday afternoon.

Residents say there have been several recent fires in the area, and some said the grass in the field had been allowed to grow too tall.

“It’s just like kindling out there,” said Joe Perez, who lives about four houses from the fire.

“We was calling the city to come lawn mower … but they never put attention on it,” Pinero said.

Davis said the field tends to have a few fires a year that are put out quickly.

4. The fire was contained by Monday evening

Firefighters contained the spread and put out the fire as the sun was setting. Fire crews from Dallas and nearby cities assisted Balch Springs.

The fire marshal called for an evacuation of all homes and structures on Broadview Drive and Bell Manor Court.

Officials gave an update this morning to let evacuated residents know when they can return.

5. The fire struck during conditions of drought and high temperatures

“We’re in unique weather conditions right now,” Davis said.

Firefighters across North Texas are battling fires that have destroyed dozens of homes in this summer’s dry and hot conditions.

As of July 21, Balch Springs was experiencing extreme drought, according to a weekly update from the U.S. Drought Monitor. As of last Thursday, Dallas-Fort Worth is on a 47-day rain-free streak, and nearly 60% of Texas is experiencing extreme drought.

Last week, North Texas was under a red flag warning for wildfires.