Wise County Sheriff Lane Akin says he believes volunteer firefighters bolstered by arriving forces from Denton, Dallas,Tarrant, Montague and Jack counties are the reason ten homes are standing today. A brush fire that torched an estimated 500 to one thousand acres from Friday afternoon through Saturday morning was a tough one to fight; Akin says tinder dry conditions were fueled even more by the slightest breezes the firefighters faced.
Investigation is underway into the cause of the fire, but Akin says it’s believed the blaze began in a wrecking yard near County Road 2931 near Old Decatur Road. Akin says embers were landing on homes that were evacuated, but firefighters managed to keep the flames away by circling each home. He reports two firefighters injured; one from heat exhaustion, the other from a knee injury. No structures were lost, though fences were damaged.
