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Flames destroyed a building early Friday at a Mineral Wells lumber company, according to reports.
The cause of the fire at Furr Building Materials, 3500 U.S. 281 North, was still under investigation Friday afternoon, said Chief Steve Perdue of the Mineral Wells Volunteer Fire Department. Representatives of the business could not be reached for comment.Flames were reported 4:56 a.m. by a motorist on the highway, but the blaze had already consumed much of the building by the time firefighters arrived, Perdue said."We had to go defensive on it," he said. "When we got there it was through the roof and coming out both ends of the attic."There wasn't any real consideration to doing any kind of offense on it."There were several buildings at the business, but flames did not spread beyond the main structure which, Perdue estimated, was about 35,000 square feet. That building contained carpeting, tile, and other materials, but not lumber, which was stored in other buildings, Perdue said.A stiff wind was blowing early Friday morning, so firefighters struggled to keep flames spreading to other buildings on site, nearby homes and a veterinary clinic, Perdue said.There are no fire hydrants in the area, so firefighters relied on tanker trucks to supply water, Perdue said. To that end, tankers were requested from other departments in Parker and Palo Pinto counties, Perdue said. Included were Adell-Whitt, Cool-Garner, Millsap, Palo Pinto, and Graford volunteer fire departments.Also, a tanker was sent from the truck driving academy at Weatherford College, Perdue said.Most of the trucks returned home before early afternoon, but one crew was still on scene at 1 p.m. to handle hot spots in the rubble, Perdue said.
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