Posted on 09/05/2011 11:27:31 PM PDT by Cincinatus' Wife
Wildfire Update – Sept. 5, 2011
Current situation:
· Texas Forest Service responded yesterday to 63 new fires that burned 32,936 acres, including 22 new large fires.
· Strong winds and low relative humidity from Tropical Storm Lee caused numerous wildfires to spread rapidly yesterday. Additional National Guard Blackhawk helicopters and Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System (TIFMAS) strike teams, as well as a heavy airtanker from South Dakota were mobilized Sunday to assist with the large number of fires. Weather conditions are expected to reach critical levels again today.
· Texas Forest Service has dozens of aircraft ready to respond this morning, including four heavy airtankers, 15 single-engine airtankers, 12 helicopters, and 13 aerial supervision aircraft. A Type 1 incident management team has been requested to assist with the Bastrop County Complex.
· 251 of the 254 Texas counties are reporting burn bans.
· Daily detailed fire information can be found at inciweb.org.
New large fires from yesterday (more than 100 acres in timber, 300 acres in lighter fuels; or where homes were lost):
* Note: Details on many fires are still unconfirmed. Below is the latest information provided.
BASTROP COUNTY COMPLEX, Bastrop County. 14,000 acres, no containment. Heavy airtankers and single-engine airtankers assisted on this fire that started in the Lost Pines area just northeast of Bastrop. The fire has moved unchecked for at least 16 miles to the south and has jumped the Colorado River twice. The Circle D, K.C. Estates, Pine Forest, Colovista and Tahitian Village subdivision have been evacuated. Firefighters are trying to hold the fire at FM 2571. Reports indicate possibly 300 homes have been destroyed. MODIS satellite image indicates the fire has jumped Highway 95 and is approximately 25,000 acres.
STEINER RANCH, Travis County. 150 acres, no containment. The fire started just north of the Steiner Ranch subdivision. More than 1,000 homes are under mandatory evacuation in Steiner Ranch. At least 25 homes are reported lost. A Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System strike team responded.
PEDERNALES BEND, Travis County. 7,000 acres, unknown containment. The fire is burning four miles southeast of Spicewood. Twenty homes were lost, 30 homes damaged.
HENDERSON #495, Henderson County. 5,000 acres, unknown containment. Three homes were saved.
#491, Limestone County. 3,000 acres, unknown containment. Six homes were saved and one was lost on this fire 20 miles east of Waco.
DELHI, Caldwell County. 1,000 acres, 10 percent contained. Twenty homes were saved and six were lost on this fire east of Lockhart.
BAILEY, Colorado County. 1,000 acres, unknown containment. This fast-moving fire threatened 40 homes near Columbus. Blackhawks, single-engine airtankers and a heavy airtanker assisted.
MOORE, Smith County. 927 acres, 5 percent contained. Ten homes were evacuated and five were lost on this fire burning on the Smith/Gregg County line. Two civilian fatalities were reported.
#545, Upshur County. 500 acres, 50 percent contained. One hundred homes were saved; none lost. The fire is burning East of Gilmer.
LUTHERHILL, Fayette County. 2,000 acres, unknown containment. The community of Ruttersville was evacuated. Seven homes are reported lost.
BONBIEW RANCH, Van Zandt County. 350 acres, unknown containment. Twenty homes were saved southeast of Canton.
CLEMANIS, Upshur County. 400 acres, 85 percent contained. Twenty homes were saved.
#543, Gregg County. 300 acres, unknown containment. Numerous homes were saved, none lost.
#538, Harrison County. 200 acres, contained. One hundred fifty homes were evacuated in a trailer park east of Longview.
#502, Nacogdoches County. 200 acres, unknown containment. More than a dozen homes have been evacuated, but none lost.
#841, Houston County. 200 acres, unknown containment. Fifteen homes were threatened east of Crockett.
PLEASANT GREEN ROAD, Gregg County. 150 acres, contained. Numerous homes evacuated and saved south of Longview.
KENNEDY ROAD, Rusk County. 150 acres, unknown containment. Numerous homes threatened, one lost.
HODDE, Travis County. 325 acres, contained. Two hundred homes were evacuated and saved east of Pflugerville. No homes reported lost.
PETTYTOWN, Caldwell County. 200 acres, 90 percent contained. Twenty homes were saved east of Lockhart.
OLD MAGNOLIA, Gregg County. 100 acres, unknown containment. No homes threatened. Two fuel tanks exploded.
SOUTH SULPHER, Hunt County. 100 acres, 70 percent contained. Five homes were threatened and two were destroyed.
#839, Leon County (Concord Robbins). 100 acres, unknown containment. At least 15 homes are reported lost and more than 300 were evacuated.
Uncontained fires from previous days (more than 100 acres in timber, 300 acres in lighter fuels):
*Note: No current updates available except on the 101 Ranch Fire.
101 RANCH, Palo Pinto County. 6,555 acres, 75 percent contained. The fire is burning on the south side of Possum Kingdom Lake near the town of Brad. Thirty-nine homes and nine RVs have been reported destroyed.
CRAB PRAIRIE, Walker County. 977 acres, 90 percent contained. Numerous SEATs and helicopters, as well as National Guard bulldozers assisted. Two homes were reported to be lost.
HORNETS TANK, Briscoe County. 5,500 acres, 90 percent contained. The fire is burning in juniper and grass in rough terrain near Palo Duro Canyon.
CEDAR RIDGE, Bosque County. 903 acres, 75 percent contained.
3547 ROAD, Wise County. 400 acres, 80 percent contained. Approximately 60 homes were evacuated near this fast-moving fire. Five homes were lost.
JOHNSON (JACKSON) RANCH, Edwards County. 600 acres, 95 percent contained. Three homes were lost on this fire burning 27 miles northwest of Hunt.
BIG DRAW, Kimble County. 600 acres, 20 percent contained. Active fire behavior in heavy fuels and steep terrain was observed. Twenty homes are threatened.
RICK RANCH, Sutton County. 395 acres, 95 percent contained. The fire is burning 24 miles west of Junction.
JACK MOUNTAIN, Coryell County. 1,700 acres, 60 percent contained. The fire is burning five miles south of Gatesville on the Ft. Hood military reservation.
BUNDY ROSS RANCH, Edwards County. 600 acres, 75 percent contained. The fire is burning in juniper, grass and brush 7 miles southeast of Telegraph.
DOUBLE T, Menard County. 300 acres, 95 percent contained. The fire is burning 19 miles west of Brady.
PICKET RUN, Montague County. 1,100 acres, 90 percent contained. The fire is burning in tall grass 7 miles south of Bowie.
CEDAR TRUCK COMPLEX, Kimble County. 357 acres, 80 percent contained. Thirteen homes were saved on this fire burning just west of Fort McKavett. This was a combination of 34 different starts along a 24-mile stretch of highway.
COSTER, Hall County. 1,000 acres, 80 percent contained. Four homes were saved on this fire burning 26 miles northwest of Childress.
HORSESHOE BEND, Coryell County. 525 acres, 75 percent contained. The fire is burning 10 miles south of McGregor. National Guard Blackhawks assisted on the fire. Twelve homes were saved.
Weather Outlook:
A ridge of dry high pressure across the mid U.S. and the Texas panhandle will drift into west Central Texas during the day. This will continue the stronger winds over the east half or more of the state along with drier relative humidities into the 10 to 20 percent range across much of the state. High temperatures will be in the upper 70s to lower 80s over a large portion of North Texas to near 100 over Deep South Texas near the Mexico border. The stronger winds are expected to weaken over most of the state Monday night.
The 1130 news just said it is over 35,000 acres affected. Still just over 30% contained, but hope for 50% by the weekend.
The very next news story was about the severe flooding in the NE. We can’t get a drop of rain and they are flooding out.
Heard the same report and wrapped my brain around the juxtaposition...
Hurting is hurting
it just depends on the proximity I guess.
Was just watching video of Wilkes Barre flooding.
Prayers that you all are doing the best you can.
Be careful.
Just got the update on the Forest Service site linked at the source (more detail there)
· Yesterday Texas Forest Service responded to 20 new fires for 1,422 acres, including new large fires in Red River, Smith, and Cherokee/Rusk counties.
· In the past seven days Texas Forest Service has responded to 176 fires for 126,844 acres.
· A more comprehensive assessment has been completed on the Bastrop County Complex by FEMA and the State Operations Center. The total number of homes destroyed on that fire is now confirmed at 1,386. Approximately 240 additional homes have been reported lost on other fires since Sunday, for a total of approximately 1,626.
http://tfsweb.tamu.edu/main/article.aspx?id=12888
I don’t know if you’ve seen these two short video clips, but they are scary.
Another short wildfire video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcxKt4w2ezw&NR=1
Some firefighters last weekend saw it moving so fast, only the top half of the grass was actually burnt.
That’s amazing.
You couldn’t get in front of something like that. And with the height of the flames, even back fires (if there was time and a good place) would be difficult.
All those homes. So very sad.
Hopefully the vegetation will return after the fast burn off.
I got an email from my BIL earlier and one of our cousins lost their home in the Cedar Creek area. The outside buildings were OK, but some embers must have landed on the roof an it caught fire.
That is most of what what happening in Bastrop the pine trees were catching fire and dropping on the rooftoops and burning the homes...
it was moving so fast there was no getting ahead of it.
and the heat from the homes burning just kept it going.
worst of worst situations
I’m so sorry. It’s going to be a long road for those who have been hit with this.
This is the first news I’ve read this morning about the fires.
It’s heartbreaking.
http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Wildfire-takes-aim-at-Harris-County-2162064.php
http://www.statesman.com/news/bastrop-residents-begin-to-return-home-1-400-1830663.html
I heard Lee Greenwood’s song this morning and thought of those who have lost everything in the fires and hope this will help someway. God Bless.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RINqibpWOzQ
Wildfire update – Sept. 9, 2011
Current situation:
· Yesterday Texas Forest Service responded to 19 new fires for 673 acres, including new large fires in Camp and Hill counties.
· In the past seven days Texas Forest Service has responded to 186 fires for 156,517 acres.
· 250 of the 254 Texas counties are reporting burn bans.
· Daily detailed fire information can be found at inciweb.org.
New large fires from yesterday (more than 100 acres in timber, 300 acres in lighter fuels; or where homes were lost):
HICKORY HILL CEMETERY, Camp County. 181 acres, contained. Burning in cutover and pine. This fire started Tuesday, however TFS resources were not utilized until yesterday.
DAM, Hill County. 250 acres, 80 percent contained. It appears that up to six homes were lost on this fire yesterday.
http://tfsweb.tamu.edu/main/article.aspx?id=12888
http://www.statesman.com/news/local/emotions-spill-over-as-impact-of-fires-sinks-1834166.html
BASTROP — Gina Thurman stood in front of a chimney and a couple of brick columns, all that was left of her home in the Tahitian Village neighborhood east of Bastrop. And yet she found wry humor and hope for the future. Crying might come later.
“It hasn’t hit me, so I haven’t cracked yet,” said Thurman, 47, who was allowed back into the neighborhood for the first time Friday. She said she was already looking forward to rebuilding with a bigger kitchen.
Nearly a week after wildfires broke out in Central Texas, emotions - sadness, disappointment, frustration, gratitude, hope - are as ubiquitous as charred pine trees.
Kathy Ashabranner and daughter Emily couldn’t hold back tears when they saw their house on a list of destroyed properties posted at the Bastrop Convention Center.
“I don’t know what to do,” said Emily Ashabranner, 23, holding a finger on her address. “I hoped it wouldn’t be there.”
For Mike Fisher, Bastrop County’s coordinator of emergency management, the operative emotion was optimism. Firefighting efforts have turned a significant corner, he said.
“We had a pretty good night. We didn’t lose any new acreage,” Fisher said Friday.
News of federal aid came late Friday as President Barack Obama signed a disaster declaration for Texas that will make available grants and other aid for affected residents and businesses, according to a White House press release.
The fires in Bastrop County have consumed 36,000 acres, destroyed nearly 1,400 homes and killed two people. And the danger is by no means over...............”
“For firefighters, losing houses was personal”
Eleven of the 24 firefighters of the Heart of the Pines department, including 49-year-old assistant chief Scott Sutcliffe, lost their homes.
http://www.statesman.com/news/local/for-firefighters-losing-houses-was-personal-1838236.html
That must really be hard to take for them.
Just got this breaking news from the statesman.
17 people unaccounted for after Bastrop County fires, authorities say http://letters.statesman.com/129465931layfousibofw7wqaaaaaajlrcw3spw5x3yyaaaaa
Sheriff Terry Pickering announced that authorities are searching for the missing.
More to come.
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