LAWNMOWER sparks Dallas inferno that rips through 26 homes amid soaring temperatures
BALCH SPRINGS, DALLAS: A grass fire apparently ignited by a mower swept about 300 yards across a dry open field in the Dallas suburb of Balch Springs on Monday, July 24. The fire burnt around 26 homes and destroyed nine and left dozens of people homeless. According to Balch Springs Fire Marshal Sean Davis, the fire spread as laborers mowed a nearby field at the northwest corner of Interstate 20 and South Belt Line Road, though officials are still investigating who is to blame. The fire spread quickly north from the shoulder of Interstate 20 to the subdivision at about 4 pm.
A row of houses on Broadview Drive, near Mackey Elementary School, caught on fire. The raging wildfire had been placed out by Monday evening, and the house fires had been extinguished and people were evacuated. There were no injuries, and officials said they were looking into who was to blame. Some residents attempted to put out the fire with garden hoses. Others had only a few minutes to flee their homes, leaving everything behind, The Dallas Morning News reported.