Texas fire destroys 9 homes day after blaze sparked by lawnmower burned 26 buildings

A fire in a residential area of southern Tarrant County, Texas, Tuesday afternoon left at least nine buildings completely destroyed, officials said.

The buildings, including three residential houses, quickly caught fire and burned for several hours until firefighters and emergency response crews were able to diminish the flames, Fox 4 of Dallas reported.

Investigators said the fire is believed to have started in a kitchen before it spread to adjacent buildings.

Firefighters from Fort Worth and 13 other departments, including Rendon, Kennedale, Venus, and Burleson all responded to combat the flame.

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Photos of the fire show a large area completely reduced to ashes.

As of 8 p.m., the Rendon Fire Department signaled the response efforts had begun to transition into the “mop up phase.”

There were no reported injuries or deaths from the fire.

Texas is among several states in the southwestern United States that are experiencing sudden wildfires as severe heat and drought have created ripe conditions for fires.

Texas authorities have already battled a trio of fires across the state this week. 

A blaze in Balch Springs on Monday burned 26 buildings, including nine homes. 

Balch Springs Fire Marshal Sean Davis said the fire was started after a spark ignited in an open field in the city’s Spring Ridge subdivision.

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Residents complained for weeks to city officials about the field owner failing to keep the field mowed. And, after the field owner was cited for a code violation, they ordered a mowing crew to the field Monday, Davis said.

A spark from the mower blade then ignited the dry grass, and brisk winds picked up the flame into the adjacent subdivision, Davis added.

“Because of the intensity of the wind, I noticed when I was even assisting with efforts initially to put the fire out. As I would get the fire out and I would move forward, I would look behind me and fire was re-igniting right behind me,” Davis told Fox 4. “I even looked up at one time when our brush truck was driving and spraying out the fire. As it got away from it, the fire was re-igniting around the truck.”

The fire caused an estimated $6 million in damage, the outlet reported.

Also, the Chalk Mountain Fire near Glen Rose destroyed 16 homes and the Possum Kingdom Lake fire destroyed five homes.

Temperatures in parts of Texas on Monday and Tuesday reached over 100 degrees. The state has already seen at least 30 days this summer of temperatures over 100.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.