Overview
- Officials say welding on a fence without proper fire suppression equipment started a grass fire that spread across about seven acres and burned trees.
- When crews arrived the blaze had grown rapidly with flames reaching roughly 20 feet and crossing into neighboring property.
- Multiple local fire departments responded and CareFlite deployed two EMS units and a supervisor while a helicopter was placed on airborne standby.
- One firefighter suffered a heat-related emergency and a civilian who tried to fight the fire had facial burns; both were treated at the scene and released.
- The Kaufman County Fire Marshal's Office has the case open to examine whether required safety measures were in place and to guide any regulatory or legal follow-up.