video via NBCDFW.com
Nine homes have been destroyed in Balch Springs and 17 more were damaged yesterday when a grass fire burned into a neighborhood near I-20 and Belt Line.
Balch Springs Fire Marshal Sean Davis says when he arrived on-scene he saw a workman loading a commercial grass mower on a trailer. The man acknowledged he'd been mowing when one of his blades struck a stone and kicked off a spark which ignited the bone dry grass.
The flames spread fast and were already burning into the neighborhood when fire crews arrived.
With triple digit temperatures and winds gusting up to 20 miles-an-hour, the flames had all the help they needed to burn an entire row of homes backing up to the grassy field.
The Balch Springs Civic Center on Elam Road has been set up as a drop-off site for those who want to donate water, food or clothing to the dozens of people who've been displaced.
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