Fire levels house trailer

November 28, 2011

A vacant house trailer was consumed in a Saturday afternoon blaze near the intersection of Highway 87 and FM 700.

No injuries were reported in the blaze, which was reported to the Howard County Volunteer Fire Department at about 4:45 p.m. Saturday.

“By the time the first unit arrived on scene, the trailer was fully engulfed (by the fire),” HCVFD Chief Tommy Sullivan.

Because of high winds in excess of 30 mph, the department took an “all hands on deck” approach to fighting the fire, Sullivan said. Seven volunteer units, joined by an engine from the Big Spring Fire Department, successfully fought to keep the fire from spreading in the high winds.

A nearby vacant building — formerly the home to Pinkie's Liquor — sustained minor fire damage to its roof— but no other structures were threatened, Sullivan said.

“With the winds as high as they were, we weren't going to take any chances,” Sullivan said. “We had every available unit out there.”
Firefighters remained on scene for more than four hours before the fire was extinguished.

“The cause of the fire is still under investigation, but we did find there was illegal power tied into the trailer house,” Sullivan noted.

HCVFD units also responded to a grass fire near Bates Road west of Big Spring Saturday morning. About 15 acres were scorched in the blaze, which was contained in less than two hours, Sullivan said.