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Wildfire destroys nearly 500 homes in Texas
Source: Agencies |
September 6, 2011, Tuesday
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A roaring wildfire raced unchecked yesterday through rain-starved farm and ranchland in Central Texas, destroying nearly 500 homes during a rapid advance fanned in part by howling winds from the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee.
At least 5,000 people were forced from their homes in Bastrop County about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of Austin, and about 400 were in emergency shelters, officials said.
Huge clouds of smoke soared into the sky and hung over downtown Bastrop, a town of about 6,000 people along the Colorado River that has many tall pine trees. The blaze consumed as much as 25,000 acres (10,000 hectares) along a line that stretched for about 16 miles, Texas Forest Service officials said.
Firefighters lined up a state highway outside Bastrop and converged around homes as they caught fire, hoping to save them. Helicopters and planes loaded with water could be seen making laps to and from the fire. When winds increased, flames would flare up and pop out over the tops of trees.
The wildfire destroyed 476 homes, and about 250 firefighters were working around the clock, using bulldozers and pumper trucks against the fire, Bastrop County Judge Ronnie McDonald said.
There were no immediate reports of injuries, and officials said they knew of no residents trapped in their homes.
On Sunday, however, about 200 miles to the northeast in Gladewater, a 20-year-old woman and her 18-month-old daughter died when a fast-moving wildfire gutted their mobile home. That fire was out Monday, although several other major blazes continued to burn in at least four other counties in Central and North Texas.
Mike Fischer, the Bastrop County emergency management director, said the fire is "nowhere near controlled," and that a separate, smaller blaze south of the city was growing larger.
"I wasn't going to evacuate, but then the smoke got blacker and blacker and it was like: 'OK, time to go,'" said Gina Thurman, 47, an analyst for the Texas Workforce Commission.
"Waiting is the most frustrating thing," she said, choking back tears as she sat by herself in the shade on a curb outside Ascension Catholic Church, one of several shelter sites. "You're sitting there and you don't know anything but your house is probably burning."
The new outbreak led Gov. Rick Perry to return home to Texas, cutting short a visit to South Carolina where he was campaigning for the Republican nomination for president. He also canceled a trip to California.
Perry viewed the fire from the air and conferred with local officials. He said seeing the fire was a "surreal" experience.
"I've seen a number of big fires in my life," he said. "This is as mean looking as I've ever seen, particularly because it was so close to the city."
At least 5,000 people were forced from their homes in Bastrop County about 25 miles (40 kilometers) east of Austin, and about 400 were in emergency shelters, officials said.
Huge clouds of smoke soared into the sky and hung over downtown Bastrop, a town of about 6,000 people along the Colorado River that has many tall pine trees. The blaze consumed as much as 25,000 acres (10,000 hectares) along a line that stretched for about 16 miles, Texas Forest Service officials said.
Firefighters lined up a state highway outside Bastrop and converged around homes as they caught fire, hoping to save them. Helicopters and planes loaded with water could be seen making laps to and from the fire. When winds increased, flames would flare up and pop out over the tops of trees.
The wildfire destroyed 476 homes, and about 250 firefighters were working around the clock, using bulldozers and pumper trucks against the fire, Bastrop County Judge Ronnie McDonald said.
There were no immediate reports of injuries, and officials said they knew of no residents trapped in their homes.
On Sunday, however, about 200 miles to the northeast in Gladewater, a 20-year-old woman and her 18-month-old daughter died when a fast-moving wildfire gutted their mobile home. That fire was out Monday, although several other major blazes continued to burn in at least four other counties in Central and North Texas.
Mike Fischer, the Bastrop County emergency management director, said the fire is "nowhere near controlled," and that a separate, smaller blaze south of the city was growing larger.
"I wasn't going to evacuate, but then the smoke got blacker and blacker and it was like: 'OK, time to go,'" said Gina Thurman, 47, an analyst for the Texas Workforce Commission.
"Waiting is the most frustrating thing," she said, choking back tears as she sat by herself in the shade on a curb outside Ascension Catholic Church, one of several shelter sites. "You're sitting there and you don't know anything but your house is probably burning."
The new outbreak led Gov. Rick Perry to return home to Texas, cutting short a visit to South Carolina where he was campaigning for the Republican nomination for president. He also canceled a trip to California.
Perry viewed the fire from the air and conferred with local officials. He said seeing the fire was a "surreal" experience.
"I've seen a number of big fires in my life," he said. "This is as mean looking as I've ever seen, particularly because it was so close to the city."
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