Illegal Burn Sparks Fire on CR 226

Early on Sunday Evening, September 28th, fire crews were dispatched to County Road 226 after an illegal burn quickly got out of control. Units from Selden Volunteer Fire Department, Erath County Volunteer Fire Rescue, Stephenville Fire Department, and Erath County EMS all responded to the call.

Photo courtesy of Selden VFD

According to Selden VFD, the first team on scene reported a fast-moving blaze that was dangerously close to an occupied home. Firefighters focused their initial efforts on protecting the structure, which was successfully saved. Once more help arrived, crews shifted to surrounding the flames and working their way inward. It took about half an hour to knock down the main fire, followed by roughly 90 minutes of mop-up to ensure no flare-ups occurred.

Photo courtesy of Selden VFD

 Marshall Tyler of 5T Water Photo Courtesy of Selden VFD

A special thanks was given by first responders to Marshall Tyler of 5T Water, who arrived with a 4,000-gallon tanker truck at just the right moment to support water supply operations.

Erath County Fire Marshal Tommy Shelton, who reviewed the fire the following day, said the blaze began when the property owner attempted to burn trash and was unaware of the county’s active burn ban.

“The fire spread into a storage outbuilding, but the damage was contained to the property, and no injuries were reported,” Shelton said.

He added that difficult access made suppression efforts more challenging, and a warning was issued for the burn ban violation. The fire was reported later that evening to have reignited into a small fire but was put out quickly by first responders.

County officials remind the public that Erath County is under a burn ban until December 21st, unless lifted sooner by the Commissioners Court.