BALCH SPRINGS — The owners of a field in Balch Springs had been asked repeatedly to mow the grass where a fire started Monday and destroyed a row of homes.
The owners received two requests from city code enforcement in recent months, followed by a citation to appear in court, Balch Springs Fire Marshal Sean Davis said Tuesday. That’s why workers were mowing the field at the corner of Interstate 20 and Belt Line Road.
The fire started when a mower blade hit something, possibly metal or concrete, and created a spark that set the grass alight, Davis said. Flames spread to a nearby row of homes, damaging 26 houses and leaving nine of them beyond repair.
Leaders of Sikka Investments, the company that owns the property, were not available to comment.
“We have not seen anything of this magnitude for the city of Balch Springs,” Davis said.
Heat and drought have made North Texas fertile ground for fire this year, and firefighters are battling blazes across the area that have destroyed dozens of homes. The field where Monday’s fire began sees a few fires a year, but they’re usually put out quickly, Davis said.
Workers who mowed the field had been piling up the dead grass against a fence “for months or maybe years,” David said. That might not have caused the blaze, he said, “but it definitely didn’t dampen the situation.”
No one was hurt in the fire. Property damage is estimated at about $6.06 million, Balch Springs Fire Chief Eric Neal told reporters. The field will sit as is for now while the Fire Department figures out how to deal with any lingering fire risk before the grass is cut again.
Miguel and Patricia Quinonez were walking out of the city recreation center Tuesday, disappointed by the help available from the Red Cross. They were looking for clothes because they hadn’t changed since Monday and lost everything in the fire. The Red Cross station had snacks and drinks, but not clothing.
“They don’t got nothing to offer,” Miguel Quinonez said.
Help from Red Cross, other agencies
A Red Cross worker said no one stayed at its shelter Monday night, but residents dropped by through the day Tuesday. The agency will start giving residents short-term financial help, disaster program manager Jen Edwards said.
The Quinonezes stayed at a hotel Monday night. They were grateful that Miguel has a truck he uses for work that they can use to get around. He was to meet with the insurance company today about damage to their home. The couple was headed to the Opal J. Smith Food Pantry, which is gathering clothing and food donations for those in need because of the fire.
At the pantry, six volunteers worked to sort a room full of clothing that was donated Tuesday. Among the donations were piles of shirts and children’s clothing, a stack of handbags, a collection of sneakers. In the next room were essentials such as diapers, toiletries, food and school supplies.
“This community has always rallied around disaster to help their fellow community members not only survive, but thrive,” said Teresa Jackson, CEO of Sharing Life, the Mesquite-based charity that runs the food bank.
Sharing Life is getting information from the city about families’ specific needs, including clothing sizes, said community engagement associate Maria Mills. The charity needs donations of new underwear and socks, diapers, clothes, food and money. Go to sharinglifeoutreach.org for information.
Financial contributions will help the agency put displaced residents up in hotels, Jackson said.
On Tuesday, Andre Camp was at the recreation center to get clothing and other aid after his home was destroyed in the fire.
He first learned of the danger Monday afternoon when a friend texted him: ”Grass fire by your house.” Camp was at work, but he got updates by phone: His neighbor got his son and dog out of the house, then tried to hose down the backyard. The fence and shed were on fire, his sister told him. By the time Camp got home 45 minutes after the first text, the house he’d lived in since 2006 was ablaze.
”Everything’s gone, man,” he said. Camp, his wife and his four children are staying with his mother. Coworkers, friends and family have sent financial support, and his son’s baseball coach started a GoFundMe.
Family mourns pet bulldog
In the neighborhood on Tuesday, Roberto Pinero’s family was mourning their 4-year-old English bulldog, Torrero, who didn’t make it out of the blazing house. Pinero lives with his wife, two kids and three grandkids. The family got out of their house before it was destroyed, but things happened so quickly they weren’t able to get the dog. The children were crying about the pet.
“We can get a new house, but the dog we can’t replace,” Pinero said, as the family tried to salvage what they could Tuesday.
On Monday night, Pinero put his family in an Airbnb and returned to keep watch at his home, to make sure no one took his remaining things.
Wendy Reppond, who hours after the fire was searching for her missing cat, Miss Kitty, said she returned to her home Monday night and found that only her fence and backyard had been damaged. And she found Miss Kitty hiding under a bed.
A house two doors down from Reppond’s was destroyed.
”We were one of the lucky ones,” she said. “I’ll fix my fence. The people that lost everything, they need the help more.”
She and other residents said they think the grass in the field contributed to the breadth of disaster.
”It definitely would not have spread so fast if the grass wasn’t so long,” she said.
Headaches the day after
Misty Hightower was inside her mother’s home when it caught fire. She has power of attorney for her mother, and she came back to the charred site Tuesday to find some medications her family needed.
She says she’s frustrated by the plethora of information, which has been difficult to navigate.
”It’s by far not been an easy or quick process because there’s so much information that none of it’s correct,” she said. “It’s mismatched. Go here, go here, go here, and then you done spent the whole day chasing after something.”
Hightower quickly got her family members out of their burning house Monday, but she said she needs resources, especially for her 85-year-old bedridden grandmother.
“We need a hospital bed, and they’re just like, ‘We’ve got your information,’” she said. “What’s that supposed to do?”
She also said her mother, Sandra Johnson-Williams, passed out after seeking help at the Red Cross post. Hightower thinks it was because the recreation center was too warm. Highland put up her displaced family members at her own home Monday night. On Tuesday, she was dealing with insurance agents and piles of debris.
”It’s been very frustrating,” she said.
Looking for fire hazards
Davis said code enforcement crews are examining fields and other areas to look for fire hazards. People mowing high grass should have a spotter with them to look for fires, he said.
Tartisha Hill, a former Balch Springs City Council member, has lived in the neighborhood for 17 years and said most houses in the area have been built since she moved there.
“We watched all these houses come up,” she said. “Young families, young couples.”
She added: “We don’t all speak, but we all know who lives where.”
CORRECTION: Coverage of a fire in Balch Springs last week included incorrect information provided by officials that the field where the fire started is owned by Mountain Express. The field is owned by Sikka Investments, and Mountain Express owns a gas station at the same address.
