By TRACI SHURLEY
Fort Worth Star Telegram
More than a dozen fire departments battled a Johnson County grass fire that burned several homes and buildings Sunday, spreading to more than 1,000 acres.
“The last report I’ve had, there were six homes destroyed, and 24 structures, and at least two civilians that went to the hospital,” Johnson County Sheriff Bob Alford said, adding that he was unsure of the extent of the injuries.
The fire started about 3 p.m. in the Skyline Ranch subdivision between Godley and Joshua, Alford said. Fanned by high winds, the flames jumped county roads and spread quickly.
The fire was under control by 6 p.m., Alford said.
High winds and dry conditions combined to fuel numerous grass fires in Tarrant, Johnson and Parker counties Sunday. Wind gusts at Meacham Airport in Fort Worth reached more than 50 mph, according to the National Weather Service.
The cause of the Johnson County blaze had not been determined Sunday evening.
“We don’t know if someone was burning or maybe working on their car,” Alford said. The county is under a burn ban.
Anita Foster, a spokeswoman for the American Red Cross, said her agency had determined that four families will not be able to stay in their homes after the Johnson County blaze. The agency was expecting two more families.
She said Red Cross volunteers also offered support Sunday to firefighters battling grass fires in Parker County, Lewisville, Flower Mound and Argyle.
“We’ve been everywhere today,” she said.
About 15 fire departments from Johnson County and south Tarrant County fought the fire in Johnson County, Alford said.
In north Tarrant County, a large grass fire started about 7 p.m. Sunday near Golden Triangle Boulevard between Interstate 35W and Keller. The blaze burned through 500 acres before firefighters from five departments brought it under control at 8 p.m., said Lt. Kent Worley, spokesman for the Fort Worth Fire Department.
Other fires were reported in south Tarrant County and in Parker County. Bob Hopkins, a spokesman for the Weatherford Fire Department, said the largest fire burned between 500 and 1,000 acres.
“It’s so dry. We’re talking 10 to 15 percent humidity, and then the wind. ... Cigarettes become dangerous at that point,” Hopkins said.
He said one resident was hospitalized after having a heart attack, possibly while trying to battle flames.