On Monday afternoon, firefighters from departments in Canadian, Gem City, Allison and Crawford (Oklahoma) all responded to a structure fire located southeast of Canadian near the Oklahoma border.

The fire broke out around 2:30 pm on land owned by Stephanie Taylor, a designer and builder of reclaimed wood furniture, who works under the name of Taylor Stump Furniture. The flames destroyed a horse trailer, and two storage buildings that she said contained both finished pieces and raw materials for her work.

Taylor told The Record that a hired hand had been working on replacing the batteries in a 4-wheeler, when she noticed a gas leak, and was concerned that the batteries were throwing sparks. She ran for help, but when Taylor responded, the buildings were already engulfed in flames.

With red flag warnings in effect for most of the Panhandle, and winds out of the south/southwest at speeds of 25 mph, gusting up to 30, the greatest concern was that the flames would spread rapidly to a nearby field and be difficult to stop. “It was just a good thing that grass was greening,” Canadian Fire Chief Scott Brewster said. “If you looked down into the dead grass, it was there.”

“We got on it pretty quick,” Brewster said. “The burn started in the horse trailer and spread to the other buildings, and into a pile of wood stumps. There was so much timber, but it really wasn’t windy down there.”

Taylor's nearby mobile home was untouched by the fire.

In addition to the firefighters who responded, two motor-graders were sent from Crawford to assist, and Allison dispatched a tanker to the scene. Hemphill County Sheriff’s officers and EMS were also on standby at the location.

ONE-VEHICLE ACCIDENT REPORTED
ON US 60 SOUTH TUESDAY MORNING

On Tuesday morning, Hemphill County SO dispatchers reported a one-vehicle accident on US 60 south of Canadian. The accident occurred in the southbound lane of US 60 just past High Plains Veterinary Services. According to first responders, the unidentified driver tore up a length of guardrail before coming to a stop. The cause of the accident is unknown, and no injuries were reported.