Posted on 09/04/2011 5:46:33 PM PDT by grey_whiskers
UPDATE 7:30 P.M.: Mark Stanford, the fire chief for the Texas Forest Service , said subdivisions have been evacuated there but they have no estimate on what structures have been lost.
People are being told to evacuate to the First Baptist Church in Smithville and Bastrop Middle School, Stanford said.
In addition, State Highways 71 and 21 in Bastrop County have been closed, Stanford said.
Update, 6:48 p.m.: Wildfires have consumed more than 6,000 acres in Bastrop County, and firefighters are still working to get the blazes under control.
According to Bastrop Police Department Spokesman Michal Hubbard, hundreds of homes have been evacuated, including those at the Colony, west of the city of Bastrop, and Tahitian Village to the east. Several structures have been lost, he said
(Excerpt) Read more at statesman.com ...
By American-Statesman staff | Sunday, September 4, 2011, 08:38 PM
UPDATE 8:30 PM: The fire in Bastrop County has been confirmed to have burned 14,000 acres and has grown to become an estimated 16 miles long, said Mark Stanford, fire chief of the Texas Forest Service.
“It’s catastrophic,” Stanford said of the Bastrop County fire. “It’s a major natural disaster.”
Forest service spokeswoman Lexi Maxwell said that fire began around 2 p.m. in the Circle D subdivision off State Highway 71. It merged with another fire north of there which pushed south and crossed over State Highways 21 and 71, Maxwell said. Aerial units estimated at least 300 homes had been damaged or destroyed by the fire.
Maxwell said another, unrelated fire has been reported in the The Colony subdivision in Bastrop County, which has forced evacuations.
Anyone know of any fire problems near Round Rock? My son lives there.
So right...and just a little bit scary. No, a lot scary.
We will survive one way or another.
Pray for rain.
Although a causal link from Obama can't be established, I have no doubt whatsoever that the _resident takes great pleasure in the suffering of Texas and its people. The Lone Star state soundly repudiated him in 2008 and the Kenyan Marxist delights in the drought, agricultural losses and now these raging fires.
He won't lift a finger to help and will erect impediments to provide aid to Conservative, Christian Texas. As Jim Robinson so aptly phrases it: FUBO!
Please ping Logan’s list.
Thank you.
The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. --James 5:16 (KJV)
I’m sorry, I don’t know.
I am in East Texas and the only news reported wasn’t even about the Austin area.
I hope your son is safe.
“Oh, No! Not Beautiful Downtown Pflugerville!”
Hey I hope it doesnt take out La Grange!
WOW Glad you and your family are okay! I was just throught there on 71 ast week going to Austin from Houston. Its pretty dry. Prayers up for everyone!
Driving from Corpus Christi to Mathis earlier the smoke was thick. We are well south of San Antone. Hoping our redneck and illegal alien neighbors don’t break out the fireworks like they usually do on holidays (I came home early to watch my house for fires).
Thanks. Unless you are here, you would not believe the high winds which are driving these flames.
And even through the fires were 20 miles away, it was spooky driving away with the headlights on and the sky looking as if it were 8:00pm even though it was only 5:00pm.
I’m staying on top of the local news to see if Bastrop and Buescher State Parks where were were camping were burned.
“BTW, my weather radar shows 5 fires on Fort Hood... Lots of smoke in our air... the Bastrop plume appears to be over 70 miles long. These plumes will show up on any good weather radar display...”
Just spoke with my Brother In Law who is stationed at Fort Hood. He says all of the fires are back out on the far side of the tank gunnery ranges. No threat to housing out there. Miles away from base structures.
Awful.
We were evacuated in Midland in spring as a fire quickly approached the city. It sounds like many out in central Texas aren’t so lucky this time.
Don’t count on Perry for anything except to pad his pockets and grab for the Hispanic (illegal) vote!
o.k....tell me why you feel that has anything to do with these fires.
I am curious.
Dear God, please look down on this land of desolation and if
it be Thy will, please send rain that we might flourish again.
It’s so bad here. Thanks for the ping, Kathy.
Thank you, Kathy! I’ve been praying for my old ‘stomping grounds’ for some time, now!
That’s pretty amazing!
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