Brush fire left unattended spread out of control in Newton

On Monday the Newton Fire Department issued a plea for residents to be careful with outdoor burning as the recent freezing temperatures resulted in a die-off and drying out of vegetation. That plea was ignored by at least one person on Wednesday afternoon and firefighters had to deal with the consequences. Captain Melanie Smith said that Newton Firefighters along with the Texas A&M Forest Service were busy with a brush fire that was left unattended and began to spread. Captain Smith said it began at the Linda King residence on Davison Street on the southeast side of town off of Highway According to Captain Smith, winds of 10-12 miles-per-hour were pushing the flames as firefighters tried to stop it. Fortunately, a large amount of rain is forecasted over the next few days and should curb wildfires for a while.