Neighbors of an open field from which a grass fire spread into their suburban Dallas subdivision, destroying nine homes, had complained that the field’s owner wouldn’t mow the grass.

Neighbors of an open field from which a grass fire spread into their suburban Dallas subdivision, destroying nine homes, had complained that the field’s owner wouldn’t mow the grass, officials said Tuesday.

The owner had the area in Balch Springs cut Monday after inaction following two city requests prompted a citation for a code violation, said city Fire Marshal Sean Davis.

That was when Davis said a spark from the mower ignited the tinder-dry grass, and a fire sped into the adjacent subdivision, damaging 26 homes and destroying nine of them.

Damage estimates topped $6 million, according to a city statement.

Field-mowing crews had been urged to have a spotter watch for sparks and ignitions, Davis said.

North Texas has been vulnerable to explosive wildfires for at least two weeks with temperatures topping 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) with 20-mph (32-kph) wind gusts and 20% humidity.

Fire crews working a 10 1/2-square-mile (27-square-kilometer) wildfire that destroyed 16 homes and damaged five others turned their attention Tuesday toward hot spots inside the fire footprint, officials said.