It was a busy Christmas Eve afternoon for area firefighters, with at least three major fires reported around the Brazos Valley.

The largest fire was in Brazos County as volunteers from Precincts 2, 3, and 4 fire departments, as well as firefighters from at least three Grimes County departments responded.

Officials say an estimated 500 to 600 acres was destroyed, including an abandoned mobile home and some storage buildings.

Several homes and animals were threatened, but firefighters were able to keep them from harm. The call came in about 2 p.m., and crews stayed on scene into the evening hours. So far there is no word on a cause.

Meanwhile, in Robertson County, firefighters there responded to a grass fire just outside Calvert. Officials say the fire spread from a trash fire someone started in a 55-gallon drum. Firefighters from Calvert, Hearne, and Bremond all responded. There’s no word if the residents who started the fire were ticketed for violating the Robertson County burn ban.

Yet another fire had Grimes County volunteers busy Saturday. This fire was near Bedias on County Road 229, but details on that are not immediately known. Officials across the Brazos Valley say they've dealt with several fires Saturday.

And just to remind you, there are burn bans in place for 156 of the 254 counties in Texas, including the entire seven-county Brazos Valley region.

There are also at least 10 counties in the KBTX viewing area that also have burn bans in place. They are Austin, Bastrop, Falls, Ft. Bend, Freestone, Harris, Lee, Limestone, Milam, and Waller counties

Violating an outdoor burn ban is a misdemeanor, and could get you a fine of up to $500.