Fast-Moving Flames
By Melinda L. Lucas
Two vacant houses on the southern outskirts of Albany were completely destroyed Tuesday afternoon in a fire that was believed to have started from electric lines sparking in a tree branch broken off by high winds.
The same winds, which were already raising dust in West Texas skies that day, pushed the fire south to Hwy. 601 (Ibex highway) and east to the Albany airport, singeing more than 250 acres, including some in the new Clarke Estates subdivision.
“The wind, low humidity, and lots of fuel made this a tough battle from the start,” said Albany VFD fire chief Kyle Tischler, who added that there weren’t very many volunteers available at first, but when it became apparent that the wind-driven blaze could get serious in a hurry, more and more firemen left their regular jobs to help.
Sara and Kelly Head, owners of both the houses that burned, live in a newer home on the north side of the property. They said Tuesday night that the blaze came within 20 feet of their house before the wind shifted soon after the fire started.
“I was praying hard while I tried to spray everything down,” said Sara Head, “and right then, the wind changed.”
With brush trucks from the Shackelford County and Moran Rural departments fighting to gain control as the fire gained speed, personnel from other departments began arriving, and the Albany city firefighters focused their attention on other structures in the fire’s path.
“Three firefighters were treated for heat exhaustion,” said Tischler.
Helping local volunteers were firemen from the Texas Forest Service, Hamby, Breckenridge, Caddo, Eastland County, Wayland, and Hubbard Creek.
Kelly Head said that he had already been considering the demolition of one of the houses on his property, but the other was used as a storehouse, and all of its contents was lost, along with some outdoor equipment parked under a carport. In addition, the heat from the fire was so great that antique furniture and other personal items in a nearby sea container also caught on fire.
