Balch Springs Wildfire Hits Close To Home During Devastating Drought

As the Texas drought rages on, Smokey Bear’s reminder that it just takes one spark to create a devastating wildfire is hitting home.

Twenty-six homes were damaged and nine destroyed in a Balch Springs “inferno” July 25. No injuries were reported. And with Wednesday’s news of a grass fire in Frisco near Legacy Drive — thankfully no one was injured and no structures were damaged – the need to prevent wildfires from starting is top of mind.

The Balch Springs blaze reportedly sparked from a “brush hogger” cutting tall, dry grass up to 6 feet tall. An active code violation was pending against the property owner, who owns 67 acres of undeveloped land adjacent to a residential area. He’d hired a contractor to mow the lot, city officials said. Balch Springs code requires grass and weeds to be less than 10 inches. 

High grass and weeds is the No. 1 code violation in Dallas; property owners are required to keep it at 12 inches or lower. Violations can result in court citations or a bill for the city’s mowing services. 

Balch Springs Fire Marshal Sean Davis said in his 20 years on the job, he hasn’t seen anything like this happen in the small community about 15 miles east of downtown Dallas. 

“There was debris, junk, concrete, and metal buried in the grass,” Davis said. “[The contractor] was dragging a brush hog behind a tractor. As he was cutting, there was a large amount of grass behind it. Brush hogging is just knocking it down; it’s not a clean kind of mowing.”

The city of about 20,000 is adjacent to Mesquite. There’s one fire department, staffed by approximately 30 volunteers, but firefighters from neighboring communities assisted in battling the blaze through a mutual aid agreement. His first call as the fire gained momentum July 25 was to the Dallas Fire Department, Davis said. 

Texas-Sized Tinderbox

Only 30 of the Lone Star State’s 254 counties are not currently under a burn ban — the most in the state since 4 million acres were scorched in 2011.

Residents aren’t allowed to burn trash right now, but things like a catalytic converter, chains dragging behind a vehicle, or welding can create a spark. Texas A&M Forest Service reports that 90 percent of wildfires are human-caused, as opposed to naturally-occurring events such as lightning. More than 210,000 acres of Texas land have burned this year to date. 

“As conditions continue to deteriorate for much of the state, we remain proactive in ensuring the state has the necessary resources to respond to any wildfire,” said Texas A&M Forest Service Fire Chief Wes Moorehead. “Wildfire activity is occurring across the state, from border to border, and requires a lot of support. Texas A&M Forest Service continues to mobilize additional firefighters, equipment, and aircraft, positioning them across the state for a quick response.”

Coupled with low humidity and high winds, dry grass becomes a tinder box of “fuel,” ripe for a wildfire, Davis explained. The blaze in Balch Springs ripped through a neighborhood in about 40 minutes, the fire marshal added. 

“That grass was fire fuel,” Davis said. “It was something for the fire to burn and consume. If it’s not there, it can’t be burned that rapidly. I hesitate to say this, but every home in that area that had some kind of covered back patio, deck, or pergola, burned. I’m afraid it was the wood in those structures that caught fire and introduced the fire to the homes.” 

A light shower isn’t going to change the widespread drought conditions, Davis cautioned. 

“The vegetation is dead; it’s not going to absorb anything,” he said. 

Most of the state is “absolutely dry,” according to the Keetch-Byram Drought Index. 

“Persistent temperatures above 100 degrees will continue to draw moisture from live vegetation,” Texas A&M Forest Service experts said in a press release. “Mid-July live fuel samples in the Cross Timbers, Rolling Plains, and Hill Country are at critical levels, making tree torching, or the transition of fire from the ground to the canopy of trees, likely with elevated fire weather conditions.”

Water Shortages

As the thermometer hangs in the triple digits, residents are fighting outrageous electric bills just to keep their homes air-conditioned. Watering the lawn has also become a challenge in small Texas towns where homeowners have been asked to conserve. 

The city of Gunter, a small Grayson county Community near Sherman and Celina, recently asked its residents to “severely restrict non-essential water usage” like outdoor watering, washing machines, and dishwashers. They’ve also been asked to limit the use of showers and sinks. The shortage occurred due to “excessive use of water,” city officials announced July 27. 

A message on the city website Wednesday said phones were down at City Hall, and no current information was posted about the water issue. More than 2,000 residents live in the community. 

Dry grass, compounded by the inability to water it, puts rural communities at an even higher risk for wildfire, experts say. However, James McAfee with Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service says most people don’t know how to properly water their lawns. 

Homeowners should be aware of soil type, grass variety, management practices, and environmental conditions when developing a watering plan, McAfee said. 

“Environmental conditions affect the water requirements of a lawn,” he said. “With low humidity, high temperatures, and high winds, water is quickly lost from the soil by transpiration and evaporation, and grass will need watering more often. When the weather is cool, humid, and less windy, grass will need less water.”

Who is Most at Risk?

Davis emphasized that residents in developed suburban areas who live on less than an acre and keep their yards mowed don’t have a lot to worry about when it comes to wildfire.

“If you’re in a residential neighborhood and someone’s barbecue grill falls over and your grass is 1 or 2 inches in height, it might cause some fence damage, but it’s nothing that can’t be put out with a fire hose,” Davis said. 

The Balch Springs fire happened in an area of dry, dense, thick grass cluttered with debris that didn’t belong to the people who lost their homes, Davis pointed out. It wasn’t their fault — or their responsibility — and yet they’re now living in hotels and awaiting assistance from the American Red Cross and local charities. 

“As DFW continues to grow and develop, we’ve got neighborhoods popping up all over,” he said. “They grow and develop adjacent to vacant, undeveloped land waiting for things like commercial retail. When you’re bordering large acreage, if [the property owner is] not mowing it, I would go back behind my house and mow.” 

As the Balch Springs community rebuilds, Davis has encouraged residents to get rid of debris in their yards, cords of firewood stacked against the house, and “the old boat you’ve been planning to fix up.” 

And he can’t say it enough: cut the grass.