On Friday, July 5th, an early morning fired destroyed a family's two-story detached structure and garage in the 11300 block of Prairie Lakes Lane in Forney, Texas. A neighbor first noticed the fire and called 9-1-1 at approximately 7:15 a.m. and then alerted the homeowners.
The Forney Fire Department was aided by the Terrell Fire Department and the Terrell Volunteer Fire Department in fighting the structure fire. Nearly an hour after the blaze started, firefighters had the fire under control but the structure and its contents were completely destroyed.
The alert neighbor and fast acting fire departments ensured that the fire did not cause any more damage. Neighbors reported hearing two small explosions, possibly from gas tanks stored in the garage.
According to Forney Fire Department Chief Townsend, the Kaufman County Fire Marshal's preliminary investigation does not suspect fireworks to be the origin of the fire. Nobody was injured in the fire.
Although fireworks may not be the cause of this fire, since July 3rd, the Forney Fire Department responded to nearly 15 grass fires that were caused by fireworks. One fire on July 3rd burned about two acres along IH 20 and caused the highway to be closed because of poor visibility due to the smoke from the fire.
The Forney Police Department also reported an abundance of fireworks related 9-1-1 calls in the city limits.
“I'd like to urge everyone to be extremely careful when burning outside or dealing with fireworks,” said Forney FD Chief Townsend. “The weather is getting very dry, the humidity is low, and there are higher winds. It's the perfect storm for grass fires and this is the problem we always get into this time of year.”