Because of the good rains
earlier this year, grass fires haven't
been much of a problem so far,
but because of those same good rains,
grass fires are expected to be a big
problem the rest of the summer.
While the rain has kept everything
relatively green longer, it also
has made the grass and weeds grow
higher, meaning now that the
dry spell is set in and there's more
grass drying out, more grass
that can easily catch fire,
sparks from passing trains and careless
use of smoking material or primary
causes. But this time of year, fireworks
got a large part of the blame.
Last July 4th, for example, Fort Worth
Pine made 130 runs,
most on grass fires.
Most of those caused by fireworks.
Fire captain WPE Duncan says it's not the
grass fire that's so bad, but other
problems it causes.
If you've got grass fires going, then it
blows your protection away from other
things and
worked your equipment pretty hard and
your man. And then if you have a,
say, a building fire, then
you have problems because
the wear and tear on the equipment and
the men also.
That's not to say a grass fire isn't
dangerous.
With stiff winds and extremely dry grass,
flames can travel faster than a
man can run buildings.
The Texas News.