Local business damaged by recent storm, fire
Integrity Plumbing, located at 101 N. Dairy St., has been damaged twice this week — first when Sunday evening’s storm tore off part of the roof and then again on Tuesday afternoon, July 7, when fire engulfed the back portion of the building.
Breckenridge Fire Chief Malcolm Bufkin said the back of the building was fully engulfed with the fire department arrived. “We could see it from the fire station when we left,” he said.
The Breckenridge Fire Department responded with five fire trucks and two support vehicles to the Tuesday afternoon fire at Integrity Plumbing. Reserve firefighters were called in to relieve those first on the scene due to the day’s soaring temperatures. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Bufkin said the Breckenridge Fire Department responded with five fire trucks and two support trucks to Integrity Plumbing, which is owned by Shonda and Bryan Wood. They had the fire under control within 20 to 30 minutes, Bufkin said, and there were no other buildings damaged.
No one was injured in the blaze, but the fire chief said that, with temperatures in the upper 90s Tuesday afternoon, he called in reserve firefighters to relieve the first responders to keep them from getting overheated.
“We are so very thankful and appreciative to these guys and all the BFD for everything they did yesterday and do on a daily basis,” Shonda Wood posted on her Facebook account. “Their response time was amazing. They took care of business, but were also kind and compassionate during all the process. We really are blessed as a community to have these guys right here.”
The fire was the second damaging event to the Integrity Plumbing building. On Sunday, July 5, the strong thunderstorm that moved through the area, bringing rain, high winds and, in some places, hail, peeled back the roof on the front part of the building.
According to the National Weather Service, Sunday afternoon, Breckenridge experienced winds of 15 to 30 miles per hour for over three hours, with gusts up to 44 mph at times. Reports indicated the line of storms stretched across the north-central and west Texas area and had winds as high as 60 to 70 mph in some areas.
The temperature dropped 30 degrees — from 100 to 69 — in less than two hours Sunday evening. Official NWS reports show that Breckenridge received a quarter of inch of rain, but some Stephens County residents measured over 2 inches of rain.
Integrity Plumbing’s roof wasn’t the only damage from the storm. Throughout Breckenridge and Stephens County, there was damage to roofs, uprooted trees and damage to outdoor furniture, equipment and other items.
The current forecast shows high temperatures around 100 degrees through the rest of the week with a 20-30 percent chance of rain from Saturday night through Tuesday.
The fire at 101 N. Dairy St. was mostly confined to the back of the Integrity Plumbing business. No one was injured in the fire, Fire Chief Malcolm Bufkin said. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)
Smoke filled the 100 block of North Dairy Street on Tuesday afternoon as Breckenridge firefighters battled the blaze at Integrity Plumbing. (Photo by Gary Glick)
Cutline, top photo: Flames engulfed the back side of Integrity Plumbing on Tuesday afternoon, July 7. The Breckenridge Fire Department responded with five fire trucks and two support vehicles and prevented the fire from spreading to any other buildings in the area. (Photo by Gary Glick)
