September 10, 2011 8:08 AM

Texas wildfires evacuees anxious to return home

Gayla Holley of Moms Against Hunger prays with Lynn Landis, a Magnolia fire evacuee, at a drive-through supplies station on Friday, Sept. 9, 2011 at the Magnolia Apostolic Tabernacle in Magnolia, Texas. Landis, who came to the church with her son and four dogs to collect food and other essentials, was concerned because she did not have renter's insurance. (AP Photo/The Courier, Karl Anderson)

(CBS/AP)

Updated 4:26 PM ET

BASTROP, Texas - Fire crews made progress Saturday fighting a massive Central Texas wildfire but concerns over still smoldering hotspots kept thousands of residents from returning home.

Tensions flared during a news conference Saturday as some residents shouted questions at county officials, demanding to know when they could return to their homes in the Bastrop area, located about 30 miles east of Austin.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/09/10/national/main20104267.shtml

Fresh crews, light winds help fight Texas wildfires

Jim Forsyth Reuters

5:39 p.m. EDT, September 10, 2011

SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) - More than a thousand firefighters, aided by lighter winds, on Saturday began to beat back raging wildfires that have scorched Texas for the past six days torching 1,600 homes and killing four people.

"We've had quite a bit of success today," Bill Paxton of the Texas Forest Service said of the battle to contain six dozen major blazes that have torched 154,000 acres across Texas since Sunday.

The largest of them, the Bastrop Complex fire, which has burned 1,376 homes and killed two people, was 40 percent contained on Saturday, Paxton said, as 64 aircraft and nearly 1,100 firefighters began to beat back the flames.http://www.mcall.com/news/local/sns-rt-us-wildfires-texas-disastertre7891kl-20110910,0,1103644.story

Officials expect total number of homes destroyed by Texas wildfire to rise from current 1,400

Article by: ANDREW DeMILLO , Associated Press

Updated: September 10, 2011 - 6:55 PM

BASTROP, Texas - Authorities say they expect the number of homes destroyed by a massive Texas wildfire to increase from the nearly 1,400 they've already tallied.

Bastrop County Judge Ronnie McDonald said Saturday that crews haven't had an opportunity to go in and count homes in some areas because of smoldering hot spots.

Authorities have said that nearly 1,400 homes have been destroyed by the wildfire that has been raging for a week in and around Bastrop, a city near Austin.

A spokesman for the team of federal, state and local agencies responding to the fire also said the number was expected to rise.

Spokesman Bruce Prud'homme also says the wildfire is now 50 percent contained, up from the 40 percent figure announced earlier Saturday.

http://www.startribune.com/nation/129583298.html

Texas Crews Make Progress, but Wildfires Evacuees Still Can't Return Home

Published September 10, 2011

| Associated Press

Sept. 10: Tommy Ratto, a fire fighter from the Lassen National Forest in Calif., team cleans up a hot spot after the destructive wildfire in Bastrop, Texas

After spending nearly a week wondering whether his home had been destroyed in massive wildfires sweeping across Central Texas, George Gaydos got the news Saturday: His house had burned down in the blaze.

But Gaydos -- who has been living at a hotel with his wife, two children and father since fleeing the fires nearly a week ago -- still can't return to his neighborhood to see what is left of his home.

Fire crews made progress Saturday fighting the wildfire but concerns over still smoldering hotspots has kept thousands of residents, including Gaydos, from returning home.

Tensions flared during a news conference Saturday as some residents shouted questions at county officials, demanding to know when they could return to their homes -- or what remains of them -- in the Bastrop area, located about 30 miles east of Austin.

Bastrop County Judge Ronnie McDonald said officials hope to get other residents back as soon as possible, but he didn't know how long that would take.

"This is day seven, tensions are high," McDonald said.

Texas is in the midst of one of its worst wildfire outbreaks in state history. A perilous mix of hot temperatures, strong winds and a historic drought spawned the Bastrop-area fire, the largest of the nearly 190 wildfires the state forest service says erupted this week, killing four people, destroying more than 1,700 homes and forcing thousands to evacuate.

A 22,000-acre blaze straddling three rural counties about 40 miles northwest of Houston has burned for several days, destroying about 60 homes and forcing some people to evacuate. The forest service has said about half the fire was behind containment lines and no towns or cities were threatened. Most homes in the area are scattered in the forest, ranchland and in small subdivision clusters.

In Bastrop, officials said Saturday the fire was about 40 percent contained after almost a week of burning. Though residents were anxious to get to their neighborhoods, Bastrop County Sheriff Terry Pickering said authorities need to be certain they are safe before residents would be allowed back. Residents from one 700-acre area that includes about two dozen homes were allowed to return home Saturday, but other areas remained evacuated as crews worked to put out potentially dangerous hotspots.

"Everybody hang in there and we'll get you back home as soon as possible," Pickering said.

In the meantime, residents are staying wherever they can -- makeshift shelters at churches, friends' and relatives' homes, even cars in nearby parking lots.

"There are some who are actually picking out apartments," said Sean McGahan, pastor of New Beginnings Church in Bastrop. "If you haven't already started, you're probably behind the curve."

Ohio firefighters help battle Texas blaze

September 10, 2011 @ 07:57 PM

The Associated Press

Herald-Dispatch.com

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — The Ohio Division of Forestry has sent more than 30 firefighters to help battle massive wildfires in Central Texas.

In May, the division sent three firefighters and a 300-gallon fire engine. Three firefighters rotate in as replacements every two weeks, with additional personnel sent as needed.

Ohio firefighter, Aaron Kloss, told The Columbus Dispatch that it’s so dry in Texas that he had to work on a blaze started by sparks from a blown-out tire.

“It’s crazy,” he said.
http://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/briefs/x1639621843/Ohio-firefighters-help-battle-Texas-blaze

Progress made in fight against massive wildfire

Posted on September 10, 2011 at 5:01 PM

Updated today at 5:05 PM

Associated Press

BASTROP, Texas (AP) — Fire crews are making progress fighting a massive wildfire in central Texas but concern over still smoldering hotspots is keeping thousands of residents from returning home.

The fire, in and around Bastrop, has burned for a week and is one of the most destructive wildfires in the state's history.

Officials say the blaze is about 40 percent contained.

The fire, which has swallowed nearly 1,400 homes, is the largest of the nearly 190 wildfires the state forest service says erupted this week, killing four people, destroying more than 1,700 homes and forcing thousands to evacuate.

About 40 miles northwest of Houston, a 22,000-acre blaze straddling three rural counties has burned for several days, destroying about 60 homes and forcing some people to evacuate. The forest service says about half the fire is behind containment lines and no towns or cities are threatened.

http://www.azfamily.com/news/national/129595603.html

Smoke From Texas Fires Have Doctors Concerned for At-Risk Citizens

Published September 08, 2011

| FoxNews.com

A thick cloud of smoke caused by wildfires in Texas could be seen covering Austin, the state's capital on Thursday morning, prompting doctors to warn residents about the risk of prolonged activity in the area that has seen its air quality reach a 14-year low.

The air quality was damaged by the fire and other factors like pollen and viruses spreading at the start of school. Children with asthma and adults with chronic respiratory problems are the most susceptible to illness, MyFoxAustin.com reported.

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Saturday, September 10, 2011

Texas Fire Frustrations. Firefighters In Texas Getting Help From Other States. Air From Fires In Texas Hazzardous To Health.