Fire crews worked to put out grassfires in the counties of Kaufman and Ellis Friday.

Ellis County

Fire crews, with assistance from property owners and neighbors, managed to contain grassfires in Ellis and Kaufman counties in North Texas. The fires, which threatened several homes, were fueled by dry conditions following an unusually rainy summer that led to increased vegetation growth. 

The Texas A&M Forest Service noted that the wildfire season appears to be starting earlier than usual due to these conditions. Local officials are working to implement a fire ban, and authorities emphasize that most wildfires are caused by human activity, often accidentally, urging the public to exercise caution.

Crews extinguish grassfires in Ellis, Kaufman counties

recent dry conditions helped fuel several grass fires across North Texas. Sky four was ever had his fire crews and even property owners are trying to get control of two fires southeast of Dallas, one in Ellis County, the other in Kaufman County. Both fires threatened homes. Fox four's David Centendry live with more on the warning now from fire officials. David. Yeah, the Forest Service says it's been a few years since 2022 that we have seen elevated amounts of wildfires here in North Texas. This upcoming season appears to be coming a bit early. A grass fire in the Ellis County community of Teleco quickly spread across a group of family properties Friday afternoon. Let me tell you, as soon as I heard about it, I started praying. Cheryl Hamill was not home at the time, but others were the fire in the middle of their family compound of five homes. I mean, we were very concerned that if it reached the propane tank, like what could have happened. The fire, an accident sparking while a couple of family members were welding along a fence line. They said that they had like the water bucket and they had the fire extinguisher, but it just got out of control before. They knew what to do in North Texas. There's summer and winter fire season. The winter season usually begins in January, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service, but this year it appears to be coming early because of a summer with more than usual amounts of rain. All of that moisture, all of that rain was great. It kept the summer a little bit cooler. Summer rains creating fuel, meaning more vegetation to burn. Not good. Now that we're in a drying trend. Well, with all of that grass growth and all of that extra rain, we had a lot of what we call fuel. That's the grass, the trees, the brush, everything grew up a little bit more than it usually does. Sky 4 video shows another grass fire in the Kauffman County city of Kemp Friday afternoon, about 30 miles east of the Ellis County fire. It was a very close call. Fortunately, this family only experienced damage to grass and a shed. An answer to prayer. They sent a couple of angels, some neighbors over to help. She's talking about neighbors coming to the rescue, using machinery to build a firewall of dirt and debris, assisting firefighters. So this was a true team effort between community members, fire department, et cetera. And the good Lord. Thank you. Yeah. Between everybody it was. So I spoke with the Ellis County fire marshal earlier today and he tells me he is working to get a fire ban in place. He says that should be coming within the next week or so. Now, when I was speaking with the forest service earlier today, they want to always remind people that about 90% of wildfires are caused by humans. That doesn't mean they are necessarily intentionally set on fire, more so just accidents, but they want to make sure people are aware and using every bit of caution that they can. Heather Payton, back to y'all. All right, Davidson Tendry. Thank you.

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