East Texas

By COSHANDRA DILLARD
Staff Writer

A brush fire that got out of control resulted in damages to a family’s property just before 1 p.m. Saturday in Smith County.

Five units from the Chapel Hill and Jackson volunteer fire departments responded to a fire on the property of Anthony and Melissa Railsback on Farm-to-Market Road 2255.

Assistant Smith County Fire Marshal Connie McCoy-Wasson said Railsback had first started a small brush pile fire about 15 feet away from the home Friday. At 7 a.m. Saturday morning he checked the brush pile fire before leaving home and checked it again when returning. Later, Mrs. Railsback had stirred the pile, Ms. McCoy-Wasson said. Shortly after, high winds caused the fire to spread, burning about 2 1/2 acres, an 18-by-25 storage shed, a John Deere riding lawn mower and the interior and front end of a 2005 Ford Expedition.

Ms. McCoy-Wasson said the fire also spread past the Railsback property and burned a 20-by-20 spot beyond a fence.

“It was a good thing that the wind was out of the south,” Ms. Wasson said. “If it had been out of the north, it would have caught the house on fire.”

The estimated value of damage is unknown and there were no reported injuries.

Five units from the Chapel Hill and Jackson volunteer fire departments responded to a fire on the property of Anthony and Melissa Railsback on Farm-to-Market Road 2255.
(Staff Photo By Coshandra Dillard)