Sparks from electrical wires provided the impetus for the fire, which began near Oak Glen and McCausland streets in the Highland South addition, Big Spring Fire Marshal Carl Condray said.
Then, pushed by winds out of the northwest in excess of 20 mph and fueled by an over-abundance of cedar brush and grass, the fire rapidly spread toward the Kentwood area, where it destroyed two homes on Fisher Road and heavily damaged a third house on Rebecca Street.
One volunteer firefighter had an allergic reaction to a bee sting, but no other injuries were reported.
While Big Spring Police Department and Howard County Sheriff’s Office personnel evacuated residents from the Kentwood area, Big Spring and Howard County volunteer firefighters, joined by units from five other agencies, waged a furious battle.
The two homes on Fisher Road were lost, in part, because the area was largely inaccessible to city firefighting units.
“We just couldn’t get our equipment to them,” Condray said. “Those dirt roads weren’t the right width ... and you needed a four-wheel drive truck to get up some of those driveways.”
One of the destroyed homes belonged to James and Sharon Johnston, who built the house 29 years ago and was closing the sale of the building when fire struck Monday.
“All we got out of the house was a few books and pictures,” James Johnston said as he surveyed the damage, looking for the family’s three cats who were missing.
A third home, on Rebecca Drive, sustained heavy damage to its roof, but no other reports of serious damage to homes in the area were received, officials said.
The fire proceeded to circle the Kentwood area, scorching large areas of South Mountain and the Morgan Ranch vicinity before finally being contained.
Units from Big Spring and Howard County were joined by firefighters from Midland, Glasscock County, Martin County, Sterling County and the Texas Forestry Service as they waged a rolling battle against the blaze, which consumed hundreds of acres.
City and county units had different responsibilities — city crews were tasked with keeping the fires away from homes, while the volunteers battled to contain the blaze.
While those crews fought at ground level, the state forestry service pitched in with two helicopters — each of which carries up to 1,200 gallons of water — and fixed-wing aircraft, which dumped chemical retardant of the blaze.
Private businesses pitched in as well. Trucks from several oil companies supplied much-needed water, while Price Construction and Cat Construction provided bulldozers, which were used to construct hasty fire breaks.
“The fire was moving so fast we didn’t have time to light back fires to starve it out,” said Tommy Sullivan, chief of the Howard County Volunteer Fired Department. “We had to use the ’dozers to create fire breaks ... At one point, it jumped over to the Morgan Ranch, but we were able to contain it after that.”
Kentwood residents evacuated earlier that afternoon were allowed to return to their homes later in the evening. City and county crews remained in the area, looking out for “hot spots” which might re-ignite the fire.
No property damage estimates were available as of this morning, but will easily be at least six figures, officials said.
Crews were hindered by the lack of accessible roads in many areas. Curious onlookers provided another serious headache, Condray said.
“We got very frustrated ... with the bystanders,” Condray said. “We were trying to get water trucks and other equipment into the area and in several cases, we couldn’t get through the traffic bottleneck.”
With conditions so ripe for more fires in the near future, both Sullivan and Condray urged area residents to be proactive in helping to protect their property.
“I know something like this always seems to happen to other people, but it can very easily happen to you,” Condray said. “If you live in a rural area ... try to have at least 100 feet or more of a brush-free area.
“Keep your trash hauled off, keep your grass mowed, keep your fences cleared of trash,” he added.
Herald Publisher Ron Midkiff contributed to this report.
Contact Staff Writer Steve Reagan at 263-7331, ext. 234 or by e-mail at
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
