Texas Wildfire, Drought Called Worst in Recent Years

By Anugrah Kumar, Christian Post Contributor Sunday, September 11, 2011

Texas’ wildfire outbreak and the drought that spawned it are being called among the worst in state history as 24 new wildfires were reported Saturday.

Central Texas has experienced a total of 179 fires over 170,686 acres in the past week, which is one of the worst wildfire outbursts in state history, according to The Associated Press. And Texas Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst said the last 10 months were the driest in the state since 1985.

The Bastrop-area fire, the largest, erupted last week due to hot temperatures and strong winds at a time when Texas was in the mist of the drought. It has killed four people, destroyed more than 1,700 homes and forced thousands to evacuate.

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Until Saturday, the Bastrop fire, which had burned about 34,000 acres, was about 50 percent contained, according to Texas Forest Service.

Barring residents from one 700-acre area with around 20 homes, Bastrop County Sheriff Terry Pickering asked all others not to return until authorities were certain that infrastructure was safe.

The thousands of evacuees were impatient to return to their neighborhood. At a news conference in Bastrop Saturday, some residents shouted questions at county officials, demanding to know when they could return to their homes. “This is day seven, tensions are high,” Bastrop County Judge Ronnie McDonald was quoted as saying.

McDonald didn’t know how long the residents would have to wait. However, Bastrop Mayor Terry Orr said it may take about a week.

Forest Service spokesman Bill Paxton said over 1,350 firefighters were fighting the Bastrop fire even as 1,620 utility workers were repairing infrastructure. “They are making great headway with all the additional resources that have arrived,” he was quoted as saying. “But the drought has killed a lot of the vegetation. Even the drought-resistant trees – the pines, oaks, the junipers – are all dying and adding additional fuel. We will be sitting on this until we get some significant precipitation.”

Many residents are staying in makeshift shelters at churches, with friends and relatives, and even cars.

“There are some who are actually picking out apartments,” Sean McGahan, pastor of New Beginnings Church in Bastrop was quoted as saying. “If you haven’t already started, you’re probably behind the curve.”

President Barack Obama Friday signed a federal disaster declaration for Texas, allowing federal funding to individuals in Bastrop County.

“Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster,” the White House said in a statement.

Since Jan. 1, state and local firefighters and crews from across the country have battled 18,887 wildfires over more than 3.5 million acres in Texas, according to CNN.