Environment News Service: Months of extreme drought have sparked wildfires across the state of Texas that have taken four lives, engulfed 3.6 million acres and destroyed more than 1,000 homes. Local and state firefighters have responded to more than 20,900 fires this season, one of the most devastating in Texas history, stretching their resources to the limit.Spreading fast in hot, dry conditions, the worst fire is located in Bastrop County, about 30 miles southeast of Austin, the state capital. The Bastrop County Complex started on Sunday afternoon in the Lost Pines area just northeast of Bastrop. The blaze has now killed at least two people, bringing the death toll from the current crop of wildfires to at least four.
Uncontained, its cause under investigation, the Bastrop fire continues to rage rapidly south and east. Some 5,300 residents in numerous subdivisions and a local hospital have been evacuated. Nearly 600 homes have been destroyed.
…On September 4, the Federal Emergency Management Agency regional administrator approved a Fire Management Assistance Grant request from the state of Texas for the Bastrop Fire. Heavy airtankers and single-engine airtankers are assisting efforts to control this fire.
…Perry, a Tea Party favorite who is campaigning for the Republican presidential nomination, cut short a campaign visit to South Carolina to return to Austin to deal with the fires. Well known for criticizing federal government spending, Perry has since April been seeking federal assistance to pay for wildfire relief and preparedness….
On September 5, 2011, a wall of smoke from the Bastrop County Complex fire looms over Texas State Highway 71, at the intersection of Old Bastrop Road and Tucker Hill Lane. Shot by Jon Lebkowsky, Wikimedia Commons via Flickr, under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license
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