GLEN ROSE, Texas — Glen Rose resident Carolyn Bybee was getting ready to tend to her yard when police knocked on her door Monday.
They were there to warn the 85-year-old about the Chalk Mountain Fire that was fast approaching her property.
“They come in and said, ‘Lady, you got three minutes to get ready and get out and go,” Bybee said. “I said, “I got to get my purse. I got to get my pick-up.'”
Bybee made it out in time. But the fire destroyed the home she and her husband built and lived in since 1968. It also destroyed her beautiful yard and flowers.
A spokesperson with the Texas A&M Forest Service said 18 homes and several outbuildings are lost due the Chalk Mountain Fire, which spread across more than 6,700 acres.
After Bybee evacuated safely, she needed help finding her donkey, June.
Emergency crews later spotted June walking up the road near Bybee’s heavily damaged home and returned the animal to Bybee safe and sound.
“She didn't have a burnt place, a scorched place on her. It's a miracle,” Bybee said.
