Neighbors complained about grass before Texas fire disaster

BALCH SPRINGS (AP) — Neighbors of an open field from which a grass fire spread into their suburban Dallas subdivision, destroying nine homes, had complained that the field’s owner wouldn’t mow the grass, officials said Tuesday.

The owner had the area in Balch Springs cut Monday after inaction following two city requests prompted a citation for a code violation, said city Fire Marshal Sean Davis.

That was when Davis said a spark from the mower ignited the tinder-dry grass, and a fire sped into the adjacent subdivision, damaging 26 homes, destroying nine of them.