Trinity County News 2

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A home is engulfed in flames after a fire broke out on June 19. Smoke from a forest fire could be seen from a distance. Courtesy photos

By Tony Farkas
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Fire departments from all ends of the county battled blazes throughout last week, largely due to storms that produced lightning but no rain.
Trinity Fire Department Assistant Chief Keith Johnson said the fire over this last weekend covered 207 acres of wooded land.

It also was the second time the department responded to the area, as a fired had broken out, again due to lightning, on June 18, which involved 25 acres of wooded area in the area of Pineland Drive and Highway 94.

“We’ve had a lot of dry thunderstorms, which produce lots of lightning in the trees but no rain, he said.

The first fire had been contained in 3 ½ hours. The second, also caused by lightning, occurred on Friday, and on Saturday firefighters were called again for the same area.

Johnson said they were paged out before 4 p.m. Saturday, and they could see the smoke from a distance. The Texas Forest Service was out with a couple of bulldozers making a fire break, and Trinity VFD was protecting a structure.

“We thought we had it contained, but wind came up and the fire spread fast,” he said. “It even crossed the road on 94. Pineland Drive has six residences, and fire was headed that way.”

Trinity called for help, and Groveton, Apple Springs, Friday, Pennington and Highway 356 departments all responded. The Forest Service called in helicopters for water drops.

By Sunday afternoon crews had the blaze 100 percent contained, but still it was smoking on Monday.

Johnson said a fence along 94 melted, but that was the only damage to property other than the forest. The Texas Department of Transportation had Highway 94 shut down for about 3 hours during the fight. No evacuation ordered, but some residents left on their own.

Lightning and dry conditions caused the fire to consume about 207 acres, and Johnson said that county resident need to be extremely cautious.

“I know the Fourth of July is coming up, and even though it’s not illegal to buy fireworks, it still is dangerous to light them off in the dry weather,” he said. “Please be careful.”

On June 19, also on Highway 94, an abandoned home was destroyed by fire.

Johnson said the fire broke out that afternoon off Hwy 94 before high school. A total of five fire units and 15 firefighters responded, and when they arrived, the house was engulfed in flames.

Johnson said no one was living in the house at the time of fire, and it was total loss.

Smoke made battling a blaze difficult by impairing visibility. The house, located near Trinity High School on Highway 94, was a total loss in a fire.

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With extreme heat comes additional water use, and it’s important to understand why additional conservation methods are needed, especially during a drought.

Statewide drought due to less rainfall

By Todd Danielson
Vice President, Engineering, Texas Water Utilities

Record-breaking heat, below-average rainfall and wildfires are having a significant impact on Texans. Farmers are finding creative solutions to grow their crops, and water utilities are forced to implement restrictions on watering.

With extreme heat comes additional water use, and it’s important to understand why additional conservation methods are needed, especially during a drought.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, 80 percent of Texans are currently experiencing drought. As temperatures rise, soil dries out, people start using more water outdoors and reservoir levels deplete.

Conserving water saves you money on your water bill and leaves more water for you and your neighbors as the drought continues. Texas Water Utilities provides the following tips for conserving outdoor water use this summer.

• Water your yard in the morning or evening. By choosing a time of day with minimal direct sunlight (before sunrise is typically best), you can help to avoid water loss through evaporation before it can soak into the soil.

• Monitor your sprinkler system. If your landscaping is equipped with a sprinkler system, ensure there are no leaks in the system and that the heads are watering only what they should (plants/landscaping). Monitor the weather regularly to ensure you do not water on a rainy day.

• Use the tuna can method. Place an empty tuna can on the part of your lawn that is being watered. Once the tuna can is filled, turn off your sprinkler. This ensures your lawn has received sufficient water for the week.
If water is running off your lawn, you may need to split this watering into two or three separate applications. It is a balancing act to water enough to promote deep root growth while also not spreading out watering so much that plants experience heat stress.

•Use a commercial car wash. Washing your car at home uses about 116 gallons of water, whereas a commercial car wash uses about 60 percent less water. Commercial car washes are required to properly dispose of wastewater including cleaning products, and many filter and recycle their water.
If washing your car at home, use nontoxic, phosphate-free soaps sparingly and wash on a pervious surface such as grass or gravel to help filter runoff. Minimize runoff by reducing water use, using a spray nozzle to restrict water flow and wring out sponges/rags over a bucket or sink. Waterless car wash products for spot cleaning are a great way to conserve water.

•Regularly maintain your landscape. Replace mulch around shrubs and garden plants to help them retain moisture. Remove weeds and thatch as necessary so they don’t compete with your desired plants for water.

•Minimize or eliminate fertilizer. Fertilizer encourages thirsty new growth, causing your landscape to require additional water. If you need fertilizer, look for a product that contains “natural organic” or “slow-release” ingredients. Use native plants in your yard to avoid the need for fertilizers and pesticides and use less water.

•Raise your lawn mower cutting height. Longer grass promotes deeper root growth and a more drought resistant lawn. Cutting off more than one-third of the blade of grass at once could shock the plant, preventing it from healthy growth. Mulching the grass clippings back onto your lawn provides moisture, organic, and fertilizer content, which reduces the need for water.

•Try xeriscaping. This landscaping literally means to conserve water—”xeri” means “dry”, therefore xeriscaping is “dry landscaping.” It requires less maintenance and is good for the environment. Consider using native drought-tolerant plants such as Texas sage, Texas redbud, desert willow and trailing lantana.
Much of the water consumed by an average American household is used outdoors. It is here where we can make simple but significant changes that will have a positive effect.

Small changes, if done on a large scale, add up to big change. Every drop counts and every Texan can make a difference.

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July 4 celebration to feature back-to-back barbecue competitions

By Tony Farkas

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TRINITY — The city of Trinity will again host its Beat the Heat cook-off in conjunction with its July 4 celebration.

This year, though, it will be two competitions, scheduled for July 2-3.

This cook-off is IBCA sanctioned and will follow IBCA rules, and will be held at the Trinity Community Center, 604 S. Robb St.

Entry fee for each day’s cook-off is $250; there will be cash payouts for first through 15^th places in all three IBCA meat categories.

Grand champions will receive $750, and $500 for reserve champions. Payouts for first are $725 and drop $50 for each subsequent placing. A $20,000 cash payout is guaranteed in each cook, and there will be a payout also overall grand and reserve champions for the doubleheader event.

As well as the competition, there will be side events, including Chef’s Choice and margaritas on July 1 and beans and Bloody Marys on July 2. Both events have a $25 entry fee and boast and 80 percent payout.

Also, there will be a junior competition on Saturday, and the fireworks show will be on Saturday at dusk.

Food and merchandise vendors also are welcome: merchandise booths 8x8 inside sites run $75 and food space $100. Space is limited.

Forms are available at cityoftrinity.com and completed forms can be mailed to City of Trinity, care of Steven Jones, P.O. Box 431, Trinity, TX 75862; emailed to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.; or faxed to (936) 594-8364.

All checks should be made payable to the City of Trinity (deadline for paying by check is 5 p.m. Friday, June 17). Entry and payment deadline is 9 p.m. Friday, July 1.

Teams are welcome to set up starting at 8 a.m. Wednesday, June 29, and stay through Tuesday, July 5.

For information, call (936) 594-2507 or visit cityoftrinity.com.

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Trinity VFD firefighters responded to a house fire on Monday, only to return on Tuesday as the porch caught fire again. Courtesy photo

TCNS staff

TRINITY — The Trinity Volunteer Fire Department battled a fire at a home in Trinity Cove — twice.

Assistant Fire Chief Keith Johnson said a blaze broke out in an abandoned residence at 118 Azalea in the Trinity Cove subdivision at 2:20 p.m. Monday.

When firefighters arrived, the structure was partially ablaze. The VFD brought and engine, two tankers and 15 firefighters and had the fire under control in about 15 minutes, Johnson said.

The Fire Department was called back at 7:15 a.m. Tuesday as the structure broke out again. One engine and nine firefighters responded and extinguished the fire on the front portion of the structure.

As the building was abandoned, no injuries were reported.