20-acre grass fire in Winona area is 75 percent contained as firefighters battle heat, wind and hilly terrain

Published 12:36 pm Wednesday, August 22, 2018

A 20-acre grass fire in the Winona area took hours to beat as firefighters battled hilly terrain, wind and hot temperatures.

The blaze, which was a mile into a wooded area near Helen Lee’s Daffodil Garden, closed down County Road 3103.

Eight fire departments and the Texas Forest Service responded to the blaze, with crews working in rotations to stay cool and hydrated. The Texas Forest Service dug shallow ditches to contain the fire and the Red Cross was on scene to offer aid. 

Officials with the Smith County Fire Marshal’s Office said high winds and low humidity made the fire hard to control. Fire Marshal Connie McCoy-Wasson said at least 20 acres burned, but no structures were threatened as of late afternoon Wednesday.

Firefighters went door to door to evacuate residents in the area, but no one was home, she said. 

A man on the property was mowing his pasture when something on the tractor shorted out and started the fire, which quickly spread, according to the fire marshal’s office.

Winona, Jackson Heights, Red Springs, Bullard, Arp, Gladewater, Sabine and Dixie volunteer fire departments responded to the fire, according to the Smith County Fire Marshall’s Office.

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