Central Texas is burning. The worst case scenario proposed by the Texas Forest Service when they first learned of Tropical Storm Lee came true early in the afternoon of September 4, 2011 as fierce winds fanned the flames on the parched landscape of Texas during the worst drought in Texas state history.
At least eight major fires are now burning in Central Texas alone and resources are stretched so thin it may be days before some of these fires are brought under control. At one point in the afternoon, the City of Austin issued a request for at least 25 firefighters to call in for re-activation to assist with the fires, and the firefighters responded immediately.
At least 300 Homes Burned in Bastrop, Texas
As 30 to 40 mph winds raced through town, a wildfire in Bastrop, Texas burned 14,000 acres, and it is nowhere near contained. At least 300 homes are damaged or destroyed and hundreds of people evacuated. Nineteen separate agencies are now working together to fight this blaze that started out as two separate fires that joined, blowing across State Highways 21 and 71. Firefighters had three C-130s dropping water on the fire before nightfall.
The Pedernales Fire Department in Travis County closed State Highway 71 around 3 p.m. this afternoon after responding to a 2-alarm fire in Spicewood when they discovered the fire had crossed the highway. The Spicewood fire, located near the southwest side of Lake Travis, burned 1000 acres near Paleface Ranch, destroyed several homes in the Paleface Ranch Subdivision, and forced hundreds of evacuations. The Spicewood fire is now 10% contained.
The Steiner Ranch Fire near 620 and Mansfield Dam also started around 3 p.m. this afternoon, possibly at a construction site. All residents of Steiner Ranch were evacuated and cars and trucks lined the roads as anxious families begged to be allowed back into their homes long enough to save their pets and check the status of their homes. The most recent reports stated the Steiner Ranch Fire has destroyed 25 homes.
In Burnet County, 50 residents were evacuated in Silver Creek as a fire raced through their subdivision. In nearby Marble Falls, on the Double Eagle Ranch, yet another fire was burning for most of the afternoon. The Double Eagle Ranch Fire threatened two homes and burned two outbuildings. The Marble Falls Volunteer Fire Department said that fire was 50% contained.
A 200 acre fire in Pflugerville, Texas was finally contained with the help of 13 firefighting agencies and the use of a bulldozer. Residents from 192 homes were evacuated to the local high school. One abandoned home was destroyed. However, there were two wildfires in Pflugerville this afternoon. One was a brush fire that was quickly extinguished.
In Caldwell County, a ten-mile-long fire at Texas 304 and Market Road 713 continues to rage through the brush and trees. Firefighters in that area do not have the personnel to work the fire and are concentrating on protecting homes and other structures. Caldwell County also had a brush fire that was quickly extinguished.
Outside of Central Texas, in Colorado County, Texas, an 1800 acre brush fire caused evacuations in the Piney Woods area around noon as five separate fires joined together. In north Cedar Park, two homes were destroyed and dozens of residents evacuated due to a grass fire near Hwy 183 near Block House Creek.
According to Texas Governor Rick Perry, Texas is a Tinderbox
On more than one occasion, Texas Governor Rick Perry has referred to the State of Texas as a tinderbox. On September 3, 2011, the day before the Central Texas wildfire explosion, Texas Forest Service Communications Officer Tom Berglund seemed to second this opinion as he expressed his concern about the winds coming from Tropical Storm Lee.
"We have been talking about this storm for days," Berglund said. Berglund explained that the fuels--dried grasses, dead trees--remaining on the drought-scarred landscape of Texas are 1000 hour fuels, which means it will take more than 1000 hours for the fuels to change their moisture content, no matter how much rain might come. There was no rain, only wind.
Since the beginning of wildfire season in November of 2010, Texas Forest Service and local firefighters have responded to 20,631 fires that have burned 3,549,047 acres, not counting the fires of September 4, 2011. Six of the 10 largest wildfires occurred in April 2011, including the Possum Kingdom fire, in an area that once again is besieged with flames, now called the 101 Ranch Fire. More than 3,000 structures, including 679 homes, have been confirmed lost during this year's wildfire season, and these number do not include the damages from the current fires burning in Central Texas.
As for the historic Texas drought, 81 percent of the state remains in exceptional drought conditions, the highest drought category, and all but three of the state's 254 counties have burn bans. Many small Texas towns are in Stage 3 and Stage 4 water restrictions, including the cities of Llano and Marble Falls, Texas, as the water from lakes and rivers simply dries up in the extreme Texas heat.
Texas Volunteer Fire Departments
The fires of September 4, 2011 have again brought into focus one of the more serious situations Texas may face in the near future with their local volunteer fire departments.
In Texas, local volunteer fire departments respond first and generally call on the Texas Forest Service when the fire burns over 100 acres or it is beyond their control. According to Chris Barron, Executive Director of the State Fireman's and Fire Marshal's Association, there are 1400 volunteer fire departments in the State of Texas and 86% of volunteer firefighters use personal money to help purchase supplies, fuel, and cover the cost of repairs to equipment used by their department.
Actor Kyle Chandler recently volunteered for numerous public service announcements urging Texans to join their local volunteer fire departments and donate to the wildfire firefighters fund, and four of the big 12 football team coaches --Texas A& M coach Mike Sherman, University of Texas coach Mack Brown, Texas Tech coach Tommy Tuberville, and Baylor coach Art Briles--also recorded a public service announcement for volunteer fire departments in Texas, stating, "When it comes to protecting Texas, we're all on the same team."
Darla Sue Dollman - Darla Sue Dollman, BA, MFA, has expertise in classic films, the Old West, boating, and animals.
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