Grass fires elsewhere in the drought-stricken region had apparently destroyed a couple of tiny Texas towns. Other fires had destroyed homes and forced hundreds of people to evacuate in Oklahoma and New Mexico.
Posted on 01/02/2006 7:43:14 AM PST by JustaCowgirl
CARBON, Texas -- Weary firefighters worked through the night attempting to contain three major fires, including one 25-mile-long blaze that charred farm fields, barns and some homes in Eastland County.
Grass fires elsewhere in the drought-stricken region had apparently destroyed a couple of tiny Texas towns. Other fires had destroyed homes and forced hundreds of people to evacuate in Oklahoma and New Mexico.
Officials warned that the dry, gusty conditions and extreme fire danger would continue.
"We don't know where we will be today," Oklahoma City Fire Department Maj. Brian Stanaland said Monday morning. "At this point, we consider the whole city a target for grass fires."
Helicopters and airplanes were lined up to join the battle Monday against the lengthy, 22,400-acre blaze near Carbon and Gorman in Eastland County, about 125 miles west of Dallas, said Texas Forest Service spokeswoman Traci Weaver.
Firefighters were close to encircling the fire early Monday, but were concerned that a fore shift in wind would complicate efforts, Weaver said.
Crews flying over other sections of northern and western Texas to assess the damage Sunday reported the tiny communities of Ringgold and Kokomo, together home to about 125 people, had essentially been wiped out by flames, Weaver said.
Crews planned to conduct a house-to-house search Monday for casualties in the two towns, as well as in Cross Plains, about 25 miles west of Carbon, where more than 90 homes and a church were destroyed by flames last week. In all, four deaths were reported last week in Texas and Oklahoma.
In Carbon, Bill Sandlin and his wife packed up their clothes, pictures and his gun collection, then drove off just as flames started to engulf their house and three barns.
"We hate losing our stuff, but at least everybody's OK," Sandlin said.
About 20 homes were burned out in the 13-mile stretch from Ringgold to Nocona, Montague County Judge James Kittrell said Monday. Six homes were destroyed near Mineral Wells, Weaver said.
Dozens of fires blackened the Oklahoma landscape as wind gusted to 50 mph, including 25 blazes within Oklahoma City that forced the evacuations of two neighborhoods. Four homes were destroyed, Stanaland said Monday.
Altogether, dozens of wildfires swept across more than 5,000 acres of Oklahoma and destroyed at least a dozen homes on Sunday, said Michelann Ooten, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Emergency Management.
Just across the Texas state line in New Mexico, 170 elderly residents were moved out of two nursing homes in Hobbs on Sunday, and a casino and community college in the town of 29,000 were evacuated.
On Monday, crews were mopping up after the four fires that blackened more than 65,000 acres of grassland and burned more than a dozen houses and barns in the Hobbs area.
"It's real calm; nice and cool," Dan Ware, New Mexico state Forestry Division spokesman, said Monday morning. "Basically, all the fires laid down and just kind of went to bed."
Most of the evacuated nursing home residents had been sent back to their quarters Monday, but 60 residents of one of nursing home and 50 to 75 other residents of the Hobbs area were still evacuees, said Ernie Wheeler, Hobbs emergency operations center director.
Ware had cautioned that the calmer overnight conditions wouldn't mean the area was out of the woods.
"As soon as the temperature comes up tomorrow (Monday), as soon as the wind comes up _ bam, we're off to the races again," Ware said Sunday.
Here's the caption for that dramatic picture. It's the one near Guthrie. That was a massive fire, from what I hear. Supposedly there are 250,000 acres of grassland burned already, and no end in sight.
An oil well pump is silhouetted against a grass fire in Guthhrie, Okla., Sunday, Jan. 1, 2006. Dry and windy conditions made for perfect conditions for fires that have plagued Texas and Oklahoma in the past week.(AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
Temperature has jumped four degrees in 10 minutes. They are saying tomorrow is going to be another day like Sunday.
I'm praying for rain.
Is there somewhere online with a map of where all the fires are? I had hoped Fox would have some nifty graphic, but I haven't seen anything like that.
susie
Strange....
Wow. I think Central Oklahoma is in even worse shape than we in the Eastern half are.
You would think everyone would have enough sense not to throw cigarette butts out the window in this kind of weather, wouldn't you? Maybe they're all over the TV and radio telling people not to do that, but I haven't heard it.
Click on the .jpg links to see satellite photos superimposed on maps:
http://www.osei.noaa.gov/Events/Fires/
Home page:
http://www.noaa.gov/fireweather/
God give us rain, please!
Possibly if the fires aren't too hot it will help the pastures and hayfields come back better next spring. Maybe get rid of some parasites too.
Not being callous, just trying to find a good side to all this. (Trying awfully hard).
Those are some beautiful, wild frontier areas.
If Mount Saint Helen would shut her gaping hole and quit spouting off maybe it would allow some rain to travel across the country.
Had rain in MO last night but the weather patterns don't travel back west. Sorry. We're still behind by 12 inches in avg rainfall.
Sending prayers and pixie dust for blessings of rain to those fire storm areas!!!!
If it were confined to pastures and hayfields, I'd say you're right. Farmers routinely burn off the stubble to help their soil. But unfortunately these fires take everything in their path- trees, structures, houses, oil fields, etc. And a lot of small animals who can't get out of its path, too.
Yes, pray for rain indeed. Or snow, sleet, whatever, as long as it's wet!
You're kidding, right?
Praying for rain and cooler weather. May God protect those fighting the fires. I am sad for those who have lost their homes.
No, I am NOT kidding. When she blew in '80 we proceeded to have the WORST drought EVER. Even in the midwest. Her destruction was NOT just WA. She has been spouting off for 15 months now.
We might have received 3 drops of rain here in Camden County. North Missouri got some and in Iowa...
I know I haven't heard a lot of announcements. You would think that people would have more common sense then that which makes me wonder if they are doing it on purpose. Having lived in SoCal for awhile, I know we had people out there intentionally starting fires.
This is terribly sad. My heart belongs in the Texas/Oklahoma area and my prayers go out to those people and the valiant firefighters struggling against nature to help them.
But Texans and Sooners are sturdy people made of stouter stuff and they will rebound and re-build.
I pray God gives them courage against the discouragement they must be feeling today. "This, too, shall pass".
Be strong, my Texas and Oklahoma brothers and sisters.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.