As firefighters battled a massive blaze last Friday morning in Bucyrus, black smoke could be seen for miles bellowing high over Highway 17.
The huge fire burned at Shelton Farms, a property owned by Dewayne and Penny Shelton. Traffic was blocked in both directions as smoke poured across the highway near the Bucyrus Post Office.
Houston Rural Fire Department Chief Don Gaston said four trucks and 11 firefighters responded to the scene just before 10 a.m.
Shortly after 11 a.m., trucks were already refilling at a hydrant at West Highway 17 and Airport Road. The Raymondville Fire Department assisted by bringing a loaded tanker truck to the scene.
Gaston said firefighters fought the flames until past 2 p.m.
“It was after dark by the time we got everything cleaned up and put away,” Gaston said. “It was a whole day for us. We had some tired guys.”
The blaze reportedly started when sparks from a welder ignited fuel on the floor, and a tire began to burn. Dozens more tires fueled the fire and burned extremely hot.
“It consumed two buildings in a matter of minutes,” Gaston said. “There was a big building that’s sort of open where they store a lot of equipment, and we mainly tried to protect that. When it’s burning so hot, there’s not much you can do with it.”
Before the fire was snuffed, two garages and a dump truck were destroyed.
“But like I told Dewayne, nobody was hurt or killed,” Gaston said, “and that very easily could have happened in that deal. It’s kind of unbelievable that a fire can get that big that quick, but when you have the right kind of fuel — like tires and oil — it can do it.
“That was quite a fire.”
A neighbor reported hearing an explosion and looked outside and saw a building on fire. There were multiple loud pops as the contents of the garages, including tires, burned with intense heat.
Gaston said he wished to thank employers who allow workers to leave and fight fires.
“It’s important that they let these boys go and fight these fires,” he said. “I really feel strongly about that, and I’m glad there’s employers willing to help. It makes a difference.”
Gaston said it’s unfortunate how unusually busy his department has been for the past several months.
“I used to think things like this came in threes,” he said. “We may have to up that number.”
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EARLIER: As firefighters battled a massive blaze last Friday morning in Bucyrus, black smoke could be seen for miles bellowing high over Highway 17.
The huge fire burned at Shelton Farms, a property owned by Dewayne and Penny Shelton. Traffic was blocked in both directions as smoke poured across the highway near the Bucyrus Post Office.
Houston Rural Fire Department chief Don Gaston said four trucks and 11 firefighters responded to the scene just before 10 a.m.
Shortly after 11 a.m., trucks were already refilling at a hydrant at West Highway 17 and Airport Road. The Raymondville Fire Department assisted by bringing a loaded tanker truck to the scene.
Gaston said firefighters fought the flames until past 2 p.m.
“It was after dark by the time we got everything cleaned up and put away,” Gaston said. “It was a whole day for us. We had some tired guys.”
The blaze reportedly started when sparks from a welder ignited fuel on the floor, and a tire began to burn. Dozens more tires fueled the fire and burned extremely hot.
“It consumed two buildings in a matter of minutes,” Gaston said. “There was big building that’s sort of open where they store a lot of equipment, and we mainly tried to protect that. When it’s burning so hot, there’s not much you can do with it.”
Before the fire was snuffed, two garages and a dump truck were destroyed.
“But like I told Dewayne, nobody was hurt or killed,” Gaston said, “and that very easily could have happened in that deal. It’s kind of unbelievable that a fire can get that big that quick, but when you have the right kind of fuel – like tires and oil – it can do it.
“That was quite a fire.”
A neighbor reported hearing an explosion and looked outside and saw a building on fire. There were multiple loud pops as the contents of the garages, including tires, burned with intense heat.
Gaston said he wished to thank employers who allow employees to leave work and fight fires.
“It’s important that they let these boys go and fight these fires,” he said. “I really feel strongly about that, and I’m glad there’s employers willing to help. It makes a difference.”
Gaston said it’s unfortunate how unusually busy his department has been for the past several months.
“I used to think things like this came in threes,” he said. “We may have to up that number.”