Written by Amanda Coers – A large grass fire on the east side of Early on Friday, June 15th, burned close to 100 acres of mostly rural land, threatening residences. At one point the flames were just ten feet away from some homes as firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze. Thanks to the coordination and hard work of several fire departments, there were no injuries and only one shed was lost to the fire.
It is believed the grass fire may have originated from a discarded cigarette, according to the Brownwood Fire Marshal Buddy Preston. Brown County is currently under a burn ban due to dry conditions. High winds on Friday contributed to the fire spreading rapidly from a 10 acre area to over 70 acres in a very short time.
The photo at top was posted on Facebook by Tara Fore.
Multiple departments including Brownwood, Early, and the Texas A&M Forest service responded to the fire which began just after 3 p.m. on County Road 348. As the fire spread, it traveled across Highway 377, causing first responders to shut down a portion of the major travel way to protect motorists.
Crews worked for four hours, utilizing bulldozers to cut fire lines in the landscape to contain the fire. According to the Fire Marshal, the fire was contained around 7:30 p.m.
