Wind Fuels Fires In North Texas

Firefighters from six cities help fight fast moving fires.

Strong winds and dry conditions fueled fires in Parker County on Saturday. More than 500 bales of hay caught fire in Reno, and crews spent all night putting out the flames. 

"I don't know what to say, I don't know how to feel," said Reno resident Ken Whitby said. "This was my livelihood. This was how we were going to survive the winter."

Whitby watched as his field and hay supply burned Saturday afternoon. More than $50,000 worth of hay was destroyed, and Whitby said it is a loss for his entire community.

"I've had a lot of customers that were looking at this hay, not just in Reno, but Fort Worth and points south where the drought has hit real heavy," Whitby said. "They were looking at this hay to feed their animals. This is a big loss for our community and everybody around."

Firefighters said the fire started around two Saturday afternoon and an electric fence may have caused it. Windy and dry conditions fanned the flames.

Reno Volunteer Fire Department Chief Mike Patterson said each bale of hay had to be unrolled and extinguished. He said the fire in Reno was just one of the fires that broke out in the region on Saturday.

"It has been very hectic," Patterson said. "We have had numerous departments out. We had numerous grass fires all over the county today, so our resources were stretched thin." 

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