Hot, dry weather stokes raging Texas wildfires

[sonias]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110410/ap_on_re_us/us_texas_wildfires;_ylt=AvVrEmsiH2FjlO0HFSIR1YOs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTNtMWVvaTRiBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTEwNDEwL3VzX3RleGFzX3dpbGRmaXJlcwRjY29kZQNtb3N0cG9wdWxhcgRjcG9z">Yahoo News 4/10/11

Hot, dry weather stokes raging Texas wildfires
FORT WORTH, Texas – Firefighters from 25 states were battling more than a dozen blazes across much of West Texas on Sunday in what state forest service officials called the single worst fire day the state has ever seen.

A fast-moving wildfire had spread to more than 60,000 acres Sunday in Presidio County and Jeff Davis County, where it destroyed about 20 homes in Fort Davis, about 200 miles southeast of El Paso. Widespread electricity outages were reported after numerous power poles burned.

But the blaze that started Saturday night missed the nearby McDonald Observatory, one of the world's leading astronomical research facilities, which instead was used as an evacuation shelter, said assistant director Anita Johnson.

Revis Daggett, co-owner of Wayside Inn B&B in Fort Davis, called the situation "gut-wrenching."

[sonias]

1. Train from S.A. halted by wildfire

San Antonio Express 4/11/11
Train from S.A. halted by wildfire
(snip)

The wind-whipped flames spread across Union Pacific's tracks and burned a railroad bridge near Marfa, stranding an Amtrak passenger train from San Antonio for 18 hours. About 162 passengers and 11 crew members were on the Sunset Limited train, which left San Antonio headed for California at 5:40 a.m. Saturday.

Around 2 p.m. Saturday, a fire that eventually burned 50 homes — scattered over 25,600 acres in Presidio County — damaged a railroad bridge near Marfa, according to the Texas Forest Service and an Amtrak spokesman, and the train came to a complete stop.

Flames spread from Marfa to Fort Davis, which was evacuated Saturday night, the TFS said, and into the mountains toward Balmorhea.

“We could see the fire from a distance, and it was pretty bad,” said Aurelia Alvarado, 65, an Amtrak passenger who was on the stranded train, by telephone Sunday. “People are a little irate, and it's just a bad situation.”

:kick:

[kentauros]

2. People are "irate" because they are being prevented from traveling

through a fire zone? That's how their "irritation" reads to me. Some people just have no sense.

I was wondering, too, when reading the weather this morning on Weather Underground why there was a fire warning for Harris County. We just had a storm blow through around noon, so, other than gusty winds, I don't see how it applies right now.

I hope our West Texas DU-ers stay safe.

[sonias]

3. I hope our West Texas DUers are fine too

Here is a nice little write up at Texas Tribune showing the location and damages caused by fires since 2009.

Texas Tribune 4/11/11
Texas Agency Battled 2,600 Fires Since 2009

Since 2009, the Texas Forest Services has helped douse more than 2,600 wildfires like those scorching West Texas in recent days. By far, debris burning is the most common cause of the fires, records show.

Using the agency’s Google Earth file, we extracted data on each fire’s cause, location, date and duration. The file also lists the number of homes lost in each incident, as well as the number of acres damaged.

You know the punchline - budget cuts are in the works the would impact rural volunteer fire departments grants to buy firefighting equipment.:(

[kentauros]

4. Thanks for that link.

I'll have to send it to my father. While they live out in the country (Dripping Springs) he knows better than to burn during a burn ban. I saw "debris burning" was top on the list of causes. I wonder how many of those are by people burning during a ban and thinking, "Who's gonna know?"

Another punchline to the budget bit is how they'll respond to the parks being burnt to ashes:

"There's noting left! We better sell off the land to recoup our losses." :eyes:

[AgainsttheCrown]

6. West Texas DUers...?

Am I the only one between El Paso and Dallas?

Anyway, I don't think it's all debris burning. I don't know the result of the investigation yet, but I know that Odessa dispatch received a call about someone starting a fire and tossing it from their vehicle about the time that they received an avalanche of calls about a fire North of town.

The West Odessa Volunteer FD has been critical in supplementing OFD. Any potential cuts to volunteer fire departments will be disastrous. I think it'll be much worse in the South West where the FD's aren't as well equipped as Midland/Odessa.

Conservative Governance- Duh, Winning!

[sonias]

8. You may be the only one posting these days

But you are not alone.

While doing a little research I found that Texas is already in bad company when it comes to fires


This is a list of some of the most serious wildland fires in U.S. history. Some were significant because of their size, others because of the value of the resources lost. Some small, but very intense, fires were important because of the loss of lives and property. There have been larger fires than some of those included on this list, but few or none with greater impact on lives and resources.

Historical Stats - National Interagency Fire Center
February 2008 Glass Texas 219,556 acres burned One of the largest fires in Texas


National Interagency Fire Center
Fire Information - Wildland Fire Statistics
National Year-to-Date Report on Fires and Acres Burned by State for March 29, 2011
TX
# of fires 438
# of acres burned 74,697

Ouch!

[AgainsttheCrown]

9. Wonder where everyone else went?

They could join my lament of waking up to the smell of smoke the past two days...

And it'd be nice to drown in this sea of red with some ideologically friendly faces.

Back on topic- That last stat has jumped enormously. The last week saw http://kut.org/2011/04/burning-question-could-west-texas-fires-spread-to-austin-area/">400,000 acres burn- just in West Texas.

[sonias]

10. 1 million acres since Nov 2010

And we're not even to the summer months! I'm in the central Texas area and I know how dry it's been here this year. We are in for another really bad drought year. :(

From your KUT story link:

Since the start of the winter fire season in November of last year, more than 1-million acres have burned black. In drought-stricken West Texas, more than 400,000 acres have burned over the last week.

[MrDiaz]

20. I'm in houston

I don't smell the fires, or see them but I have read that over 2 million acres have burned since Jan. 2011

[MelissaB]

13. I'm here in San Angelo!

:hi:

The kids and husband had ashes falling at school all around them Friday. Also, I'm following this group on FB that gives pretty good updates: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/wildcatfire?sk=wall&filter=2 I think it's just one person doing this and sometimes he/she has to work and sleep.

[MrsBrady]

5. I have a friend the in Fort Davis area

that lost their barn with all of its contents, had to send their dogs to safety and can't find one of their cats.
it's not a working farm so the barn had personal items for storage, music equipment, and a classic car.

somehow the house was spared, land scorched everywhere.

their neighbor, a couple of pastures away lost their home.

I can't show the photos here for anonymity's sake, but they are shocking.

[sonias]

7. I'm so sorry to hear that

I wish them the best of luck in trying to recover.

I'm worried that this is just the beginning of a timber box situation we have in drought plagued Texas.

http://www.texastribune.org/texas-environmental-news/environmental-problems-and-policies/drought-keep-texas-wildfires-blazing-until-summer/">Texas Tribune 4/12/11
Drought Could Keep Texas Wildfires Blazing Until Summer (Audio story)

Firefighters continue to battle massive wildfires that have scorched more than 300,000 acres across the state in the last week. As Crystal Chavez of KUT News reports, with the state still battling a drought, little relief is in sight.

[jdm9955]

15. just terrible.

[kentauros]

11. Part of Oak Hill went up in flames yesterday.

It's on the west side of Austin, for those that don't live in that area (I don't either, but have a brother and SIL that live on the road worst hit.)

Here's the Statesman story:

Brush fire sweeps into Oak Hill; 1 charged

By Isadora Vail
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Updated: 8:31 a.m. Monday, April 18, 2011
Published: 10:59 p.m. Sunday, April 17, 2011

Fed by gusting winds, a wildfire roared into residential streets in Oak Hill on Sunday afternoon, destroying eight houses, damaging another 10 and forcing hundreds of people from their homes before the blaze was subdued by dozens of firefighters aided by Texas Forest Service planes.

Fire officials said late Sunday that one person was charged with a state jail felony. The suspect, whose name was not released, was booked into the Travis County Jail with bail set at $50,000.

The first call came into the Austin Fire Department about 1:30 p.m. A caller reported seeing a small brush fire behind a convenience store at U.S. 290 and RM 1826, Battalion Chief Palmer Buck said. Within minutes, several fire engines were on the scene, and by 2 p.m. the first house had caught fire, he said.

Another 20 minutes passed before crews on the scene increased the alarm and called for more help, Buck said.

~more at link~

By the way, there's a companion-story in LBN that needs our DU-Texan love :)

[sonias]

12. Texas Fires 2011: Over 1 Million Acres Burned In Wildfires

Huffington Post 4/20/11 Video/Slideshow
Texas Fires 2011: Over 1 Million Acres Burned In Wildfires

The Texas wildfires have been creeping closer and closer to the Dallas-Fort Worth area, as over one million acres have been burned in little over a week's time.

(snip)

From CNN:

Saginor said firefighters from 34 states are now in Texas battling blazes that, over the past two weeks, have destroyed more than 170 homes.
"Some (fires) are over 100,000 acres and they've been burning for over a week, so that's our priority right now," Saginor said, "to put out the big ones."

:scared:

[TxVietVet]

14. Here's a link to follow the wildfires in Texas.

http://www.geomac.gov/viewer/viewer.shtml

[sonias]

16. Thanks

I noticed you can zoom in on the map and pick up the names of the areas. Also the legend explains that those large green triangles either represent 50,000-100,000 acres or 100,000 plus acres burning. The Texas area is primarily marked with large triangles.

And if the fires weren't enough - Texas is just plain running out of water. Oh and Rick Perry is making the fires God's problem now. I suppose if it doesn't rain, then Perry can say he punted to a higher authority. :shrug:

Texas Tribune 4/22/11
Drought-Plagued Midland, Texas, Is Running Out of Water

MIDLAND — The oil business is booming, but there is something more precious in Midland right now: water.

Since the beginning of October, barely one-tenth of an inch of rain has fallen on the oil and gas capital of West Texas. Two of the three reservoirs that Midland and other Permian Basin communities rely on for most of their water are getting close to empty. The third is below 30 percent of capacity.

This month, for the first time, Midland imposed water restrictions, forcing homeowners to water their lawns less, and schools to let their football fields grow a little scrubbier.

(snip)

All of Texas is extremely dry, and the parched vegetation is fueling huge wildfires across the state — prompting Gov. Rick Perry to urge prayers for rain this weekend. But the situation in the Permian Basin is particularly serious.

:kick:

[white cloud]

17. Fract is not helping

2 to 7.5 million gals of fresh water per well.
Water from lakes river and wells.

[TxVietVet]

18. It's just now dawning on some folks that fracking isn't good.

It's using up massive amounts of good water. It is reported that some of the fracking companies are using toxic chemicals to inject into the rock to release the methane. It's not good at all. Maybe Midland/Odessa will feel what it's like first to do without water or pay the high price for it.

Rain hasn't come here north of Houston. We're way below normal. It's dry and the fires are all around us.

[kentauros]

19. There's a good thread in "Environment/Energy"

about temperature anomalies for the second week of April, and image from NASA's MODIS. It's a pretty telling image connecting what we've been going through during this drought. Here's the thread link if y'all want to have a look:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=115x289948

In defending our situation here from a possible denialist, too, I found some more info on the wildfires and the climate:

Hell: “Unprecedented drought” drives “never-before-seen wildfire situation in Texas”