Magnolia fire not even mentioned. The fires in Bastrop County have been terrible but most of the state has fires.
Assets are limited. Firefighters here have done unbelievable things with just tankers and brush trucks and limited numbers of dozers.
I’ve been at the roadblocks most of the evening. In one very disappointing event Montgomery County Sheriff deputy behaved very badly. An old couple had left their home 1/4 mile down the road from the road block to get fuel and food in expectation of a forced evacuation. It was a brother and sister in their late 80’s. She had left her 95 year old husband at home, the area had not been issued an evacuation order. They had no way to communicate with the old gentleman. Anyway, the cops would not let them in to be with the 95 year old, no evacuation order had been issued they simply were not letting anybody back in. The old couple had been waiting for 3 hours. I went over to ask if the cops could help them in some way.... NO! I appealed, NO! I said this was not right, they needed help and this was just not right. I was told to leave for my own good. I asked if the deputy could call and make exception... NO, “I don’t know where to reach my Lieutenant. You need to leave sir and let me alone.” Yeah, right so you can go back to picking your nose or scratching your butt or pulling your damn tool belt up over your gut.
I hate cops. The wold has gone crazy and I don’t want to live in it anymore when the cops won’t even go over to talk to a couple of octogenarians. The old fellow was a tanker with the 13th division in Europe. We had quite a long conversation. Nice guy and his sister was charming.
I hate cops. I hate anybody who is inflexible and can’t use good common sense. I hate rules and orders that are meant to be followed mindlessly. Did I say I hate cops? I really hate stupid cops especially when I’ve spent so much time this evening defending their numbers in clusters since I had heard on the scanner how much they have beed doing to deter looters.
More at link — my earlier post was removed because I put too much text in comment.
Hang in there.
http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/Fires-destroy-homes-in-Bastrop-Magnolia-2156637.php
[excerpt]Magnolia fire
The Magnolia fire, located off FM 1774 and FM 1488, jumped FM 1488 late Monday and forced further evacuations, although some families were being allowed back to their homes. The Magnolia Independent School District canceled classes today because of the fires. Evacuation shelters were being set up throughout the area, including at Magnolia High School.
Another fire in the area had burned 100 acres and was 80 percent contained, Norris said. It had destroyed one structure and caused no injuries after 50 homes were evacuated.
A fire covering about 100 acres was burning in Oak Ridge North late Monday.
A fire near Nacogdoches that started Sunday night raged to 300 acres Monday and forced 60 families to evacuate their homes, said Ralph Cullom, a spokesman for the Texas Forrest Service. That fires grew with strong gusts of winds and fed off of dry conditions on the ground.
“This drought we’re having is just unprecedented,” Cullom said.
No injuries have been reported in Bastrop, but two people were reported killed in a North Texas fire Monday. A woman and her 18-month-old child died when a fast-moving fire near Gladewater, east of Dallas, set their mobile home on fire and they were unable to escape. [end excerpt]
That's horrible. Do you know how the old guy made out? They are now reporting at least two deaths in the Bastrop fires.