RUSK COUNTY, Texas — Officials determined a house fire began due to a burn ban violation in Rusk County Tuesday night.
According to the Rusk County Office of Emergency Management Support Director Michael Searcy, several fire departments responded to a detached outbuilding/apartment on fire at the 11000 block of County Road 240 just west of State Highway 322.
The residents of the home escaped without injuries, Searcy said.
The investigation determined the fire began from a burn barrel behind the apartment. A grass fire was sparked from the heat coming from the burn barrel. The grass fire spread underneath the porch and into the subfloor of the garage apartment, Rusk County OEM explained.
The structure is a likely a total loss, Searcy said.
The fire crews that assisted in this fire include Elderville - Lakeport VFD, Kilgore Fire, Henderson Fire, and Crims Chapel VFD, Rusk County Emergency Management and the Fire Marshal's Office.
Searcy urges everyone to follow the burn bans and not burn during these poor conditions.