Wildfires hit homes in Texas
Source: Agencies |
September 7, 2011, Wednesday
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More than 1,000 homes have been gutted in at least 57 wildfires across rain-starved Texas in the United States, most of them in one devastating blaze close to Austin that is still raging out of control, officials said yesterday.
Speaking at a news conference near one of the fire-ravaged areas, Texas Governor Rick Perry said more than 40,469 hectares have burned in the drought-stricken state.
The Texas Forest Service says nearly 600 of the torched homes were in Bastrop County, some 40 kilometers from Austin, the state capital. The agency said that blaze was still raging yesterday. It was the most destructive fire of the year for a state that has had more than 1.2 million hectares burned, said state emergency management chief Nim Kidd.
The number of destroyed homes is expected to go higher as officials assess hard-hit areas, Kidd said.
Perry, who interrupted his campaigning for the Republican presidential nomination, toured one of the fire-ravaged neighborhoods yesterday morning.
Calmer winds were expected to help in the battle against wildfires that flared up when strong winds fed by Tropical Storm Lee swept across Texas over Labor Day weekend.
Texas Forest Service spokeswoman Victoria Koenig said it was too early to say how much progress was made fighting the wildfire in Bastrop County overnight. The agency says the fire has grown to 12,000 hectares.
Even with the encouraging conditions yesterday, Koenig said it was a "tough, tough fire" that was raging through rugged terrain, including a ridge of hills. "You can still see the hills glowing quite a bit," she added.
At least 5,000 people were forced from their homes in Bastrop County, and about 400 were in emergency shelters, officials said on Monday. School and school-related activities were canceled yesterday.
In Bastrop, a town of about 6,000 people along the Colorado River, huge clouds of smoke soared into the sky and hung over downtown on Monday.
The fire was far enough away from Austin that the city was not threatened, but it consumed land along a line that stretched for about 25 kilometers, Texas Forest Service officials said.
Speaking at a news conference near one of the fire-ravaged areas, Texas Governor Rick Perry said more than 40,469 hectares have burned in the drought-stricken state.
The Texas Forest Service says nearly 600 of the torched homes were in Bastrop County, some 40 kilometers from Austin, the state capital. The agency said that blaze was still raging yesterday. It was the most destructive fire of the year for a state that has had more than 1.2 million hectares burned, said state emergency management chief Nim Kidd.
The number of destroyed homes is expected to go higher as officials assess hard-hit areas, Kidd said.
Perry, who interrupted his campaigning for the Republican presidential nomination, toured one of the fire-ravaged neighborhoods yesterday morning.
Calmer winds were expected to help in the battle against wildfires that flared up when strong winds fed by Tropical Storm Lee swept across Texas over Labor Day weekend.
Texas Forest Service spokeswoman Victoria Koenig said it was too early to say how much progress was made fighting the wildfire in Bastrop County overnight. The agency says the fire has grown to 12,000 hectares.
Even with the encouraging conditions yesterday, Koenig said it was a "tough, tough fire" that was raging through rugged terrain, including a ridge of hills. "You can still see the hills glowing quite a bit," she added.
At least 5,000 people were forced from their homes in Bastrop County, and about 400 were in emergency shelters, officials said on Monday. School and school-related activities were canceled yesterday.
In Bastrop, a town of about 6,000 people along the Colorado River, huge clouds of smoke soared into the sky and hung over downtown on Monday.
The fire was far enough away from Austin that the city was not threatened, but it consumed land along a line that stretched for about 25 kilometers, Texas Forest Service officials said.
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