Vacant house collapses in town, wildfire burns in county
The recent weather this area has been experiencing likely led to the collapse of a vacant house in central Breckenridge, but the rain hasn’t ben enough to allow the burn ban to be lifted.
Breckenridge Fire Chief Calvin Chaney said a vacant house at 202 W. Second St. collapsed on Saturday, probably from the weight of the recent rain and ice that fell in the area during the past few days. He said the house was a substandard structure and the roof on the house had already been sagging.
“It was an act of nature, it just fell on its own and fell apart,” Chaney said.
Also on Saturday, firefighters responded to a grass fire on the Wayland Highway, FM 1852. The fire chief said the fire was caused when someone was burning brush and the fire got away from them.
Chaney said that although the area has received about three inches of rain in the past few days and the ground is wet, the grass in the area is not wet.
“The grass is dead. It’s gone. It’s brown; it’s dead,” he said. “The ground is wet, I assure you, but that grass is about 18 inches tall, and it’s not, and that’s what burning.”
Also, he said, because the ground was wet, firefighters had issues getting to grass to put it out.
A county-wide burn ban for Stephens County remains in effect.
Cutline, top photo: The house at 202 W. Second St. collapsed on Saturday, probably from the weight of the recent rain and ice that fell in the area during the past few days. The house was vacant, according to Breckenridge Fire Chief Calvin Chaney. (Photo courtesy of Calvin Chaney)
