Burton brush fire near elementary school sent flames toward homes, parked car

A Burton brush fire on Stuart Point Road started off moving slowly Monday afternoon, then picked up the pace and headed toward a couple homes and a car, according to a Burton Fire District news release.

The brush fire was next to Whale Branch Elementary School shortly after 12:30 p.m., according to the release. No injuries were reported, and it didn’t affect the school.

While firefighters worked to put the fire out, some “undetected embers in a far tree line” sparked up new flames that raced toward two homes and a nearby parked car, according to the fire district. It took two firetrucks and 500 gallons of water to stop the fire.

A nearby resident told firefighters he thought the fire started when someone tossed a cigarette in a roadside ditch, according to the release.

This story was originally published January 22, 2018 at 5:04 PM with the headline "Burton brush fire near elementary school sent flames toward homes, parked car."