Wildfires burn about 34 homes in South Texas

Ap via Breitbart ^ | April 3, 2009 | n/a

[Jet Jaguar]

Blustery weather that rolled across Texas on Thursday apparently downed power lines, sparking a fire that destroyed about 34 homes in a small town near Lake Corpus Christi, authorities said.

One volunteer firefighter was burned and two other people suffered minor injuries in the afternoon fire that burned 175 acres in Lagarto in southern Live Oak County, the Texas Forest Service said.

A spokeswoman at the Live Oak County Sheriff's Office said not all of the homes that burned were occupied. Three shelters were set up, and the Coastal Bend-Texas Chapter of the American Red Cross had set up a command center to assess what people needed.

Lewis Kearney, spokesman for the Texas Forest Service, said the fire was 60 percent contained Thursday night and power lines downed by the winds were the suspected cause. Ten vehicles were destroyed in the blaze

[Cindy]

This is a separate incident (not related to this wildfires’ thread), but posting this here for archival purposes...

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/chronicle/6335116.html

“Trio charged with arson in West Texas wildfires”
Associated Press
March 23, 2009, 11:42PM

SNIPPET: “Three Eastland County residents have been charged with five counts of arson and one count of organized criminal activity in connection with a series of West Texas wildfires that destroyed five structures in Eastland and Callahan counties.

The Texas Forest Service said in a statement Monday that Christina Utley, 20, of Ranger, Brian Freeman, 23, and Michael Thomas, 24, both of Cisco, were being held at the Eastland County Jail on bails totaling $87,500.”

[SwinneySwitch]

Lagarto/Arrowhead ping!

If you want on, or off this S. Texas/Mexico ping list, please FReepMail me.

[wolfcreek]

Surprised there wasn’t more of that. Serious windage.

http://www.news8austin.com/story.asp?ArID=236783

[DaGman]

I saw all the smoke in the sky coming out of Corpus yesterday while going north on 37 and wondered where the hellacious fire was.

There was a smaller fire but a helluva lot of smoke on the northbound side of I37 at around mile marker 24, maybe to 25 that had traffic stopped dead. I don't know for how long traffic was stopped as I detoured around it and cutting back then over to 188 and back north on 37. No one was in the rear view for many miles.

Many of those that live in the Lagarto, Orange Grove, Mathis, Sandia outside of Robstown, and probably even Swinney Switch lose power in high wind. Often it doesn't take a lot of wind. Yesterday was one of the most blustery I've driven in, in a while.