September 4, 2011 will certainly be a day seared in the hearts and minds of many Texans. Drought conditions and high winds made for the perfect ingredients for what could be described as a literal Hell on earth. Fires broke out in several Texas counties over the weekend, the largest in Bastrop county, where so far 25,000 acres have burned, over 500 homes have been lost and still other citizens were fleeing their homes with no idea of what they would come back to. Other counties battling blazes include (but this is in no way a complete list): Limestone, Freestone, Gregg, Cass, Marion, Upshur, Smith, Harrison, Rusk, and Van Zandt counties.
Much closer to home for this writer, were two fires that broke out in Leon County. Between 2:00-2:30 p.m. Sunday afternoon, two separate fires were reported in the Concord-Robbins and Old Bowling communities.
According to reports, the fire in the Old Bowling community began as a grassfire on Farm to Market Road 1147, and started spreading rapidly. Evacuations were reported as early as 2:27 p.m., with the closure of Highway 7, from its intersection with FM 1147 west to the intersection of Highway 7 and FM 39. By 3:00 p.m., evacuations from the Concord-Robbins community were being reported.
It appears that the other fire, situated in Concord, began when a tree limb fell onto a power line on County Road 392, just west of the intersection of Highway 7 and Farm-to-Market 39. With plenty of dry grass, trees, and brush and wind, the fire spread rapidly west, up what locals call Concord Hill, scorching trees, and consuming Concord Baptist Church at the top of the hill, continuing down the other side, while simultaneously jumping to the south side of Highway 7, spreading south and west. Concord Methodist Church, which was situated directly across Highway 7 from Concord Baptist Church, was also burned.
The Concord-Robbins and Old Bowling fires advanced swiftly, consuming over 500 acres and ten structures (including three homes), with the two meeting and spreading south towards the Flynn community at the intersection of Farm to Market Roads 39 and 977.
By 4:40 p.m. Sunday, evacuations were under way from the intersection of FM 39 and Highway 7 in Robbins, all the way down 39 South to OSR in Normangee, and at 3 pm Monday evacuations were ordered from FM 39 west to Highway 3, and down FM 977 from the intersection of FM 39 west to the intersection with Highway 79 outside of the town of Marquez. Evacuees were advised to go to the First Baptist Church in Centerville.
At 11 pm on Sunday night, officials from the Texas Forest Service were estimating that the fire had consumed more than 1,000 acres, with a 25% containment. At that point, they believed that the fire was four miles long and two and a half miles wide. The Texas Forest Service had aerial tankers on the scene helping to battle the fire, and firefighters from Brazos County and several other counties had been called in.
Monday, September 5:
After a night spent in tense watchfulness, Leon County citizens met the sunrise to the news that the fire was still burning largely uncontrolled, and a forecast for winds of 20 to 30 miles per hour. By 7 am Monday morning, the fire had consumed some 1,500 acres, and residents on several county roads had been asked to leave their homes.
At 10 am, updated reports stated that between 3,000 and 4,000 acres had burned since Sunday afternoon. All evacuation orders remained in place and included several county roads- 427, 428, 495, 491, 496, and 485. Exhausted firefighters were battling blazes on two fronts- the larger fire on the south side of Highway 7, and flare ups back in Concord to the north of Highway 7. Throughout the morning, the fire was burning 1,000 acres at 0% containment, more than 300 people (including the town of Flynn) had been evacuated, and 15 homes and 10 structures were reported as destroyed.
As the day wore on, residents learned that ten firefighters had become trapped when fire in surrounding trees came down on them. They were all able to get to safety, with one of the firefighters sustaining burns to his arms. This writer, along with others, were able to travel to Concord and a few areas close by to check property and the cemetery where several friends and family members were buried.
Homes along the west side of the railroad tracks in Concord, on County Road 391 were untouched, but a short trip west on Highway 7 soon revealed the devastation of the blaze. Scorched earth, trees smoldering, and the land was stripped bare of underbrush. There were rays of hope in the ashes, some homes were still standing. The scene at the Concord Church and the Cemetery was saddening. The church was burned down to the foundation bricks, with only the steps and wheelchair ramp left standing. Walking to the cemetery gates, the air was filled with the smell of smoke and the sounds of chainsaws, from volunteers cutting down smoldering trees. The grass among the headstones was burned, but the worst of the damage seemed concentrated to the front end of the cemetery, with some trees having fallen over, narrowly missing headstones, and some of the headstones being scorched. Many of the cemetery’s plots seemed to have escaped relatively unscathed.
Standing in the ashes of the churchyard, looking south across highway 7, one could see that the Methodist church that had stood for 96 years was also gone, along with the small house next to it. Looking east towards Robbins, the path of the fire was revealed, with smoldering trees and patches of blackened pastureland on either side of the highway.
With evening fast bearing down, residents of Marquez could smell the fires, and the sky was a frightening sight. Winds picked up the smoke from the fires, making it appear much closer than six miles away. Darkness fell, and while gazing out her back porch at the glow from the fire just a few miles away, one Marquez resident worried about her home, wondering if she would need to leave it. More than that, as she listened to sirens racing down County Road 429 past her home, she worried about the firefighters battling the blaze, many of whom she has known since they were babies. A Vanetia native checked in, with praises for firefighters, his heart surgeon, and God, assuring friends that he and his wife were fine, and bringing some levity to an otherwise stressful situation.
Citizens of Vanetia, Marquez, and Hilltop Lakes and surrounding communities waited throughout Sunday and Monday, preparing in case they should get the call to leave their homes. Several Old Bowling citizens stayed at their homes, bulldozing firebreaks, watering down the grass and trees with water hoses, whatever they could do to save their homes. For many of them, those efforts have paid off. They are tired and weary, perhaps a little sooty, but they are still here, and their homes still stand.
Tuesday, September 6:
Tuesday morning dawned, with light winds, a much cooler temperature, and a Dense Smoke Advisory for Leon County, along with Navarro and Freestone Counties, who have also been battling wildfires over the Labor Day Weekend.
Prior to an aerial flyover, it was estimated that a total of 30-35 structures had been destroyed, 5,000 acres burned, and the fire was contained at about 40%. That number was lowered to 15% at 10 am, after reporters spoke to Incident Command Chief John Adams in Concord. There were several hot spots that were reigniting, but not spreading outside the 5,000 acre burn zone, that kept firefighters on the move. Flynn and Hilltop Lakes residents were cautioned to be prepared to evacuate, just in case.
Between 1 pm and 3 pm Tuesday, several citizens in the Concord, Robbins, Flynn and Old Bowling Communities who had returned home were being advised to evacuate again because winds picked up. Mandatory evacuations were issued for County Roads 436, 437, 440, 491, 492, 493, 495 and 496, as well as the West side of FM 39 South at Highway 7 to County Road 441, and FM 1147.
As of 10pm, the areas in the fire zone were still extremely dangerous, and emphasis was being placed on the mandatory evacuations for residents in the affected areas. Fires are still reigniting, but at this point, not spreading out of the 5,000 acre burn zone. At 10pm, one television station reported, incorrectly, that the fire was 100% contained. That information has since been corrected. County Commissioner Dean Player stated that the fire was not even close to being 100% contained as of 11:30 p.m. Tuesday night. Previously evacuated residents should not return home, as the area is very dangerous, with flare ups through out the county.
Mounting Frustrations:
Several people seeking information have expressed concern over a lack of up-to-date, accurate coverage in the television medium (see above). Television news reports are referring viewers to their websites and Leon County Emergency Management’s Facebook page for the latest information. The television station websites are not updated regularly, video and photos are one to two days old, and information is not always being reported accurately, if at all. While Leon County Emergency Management’s Facebook page has been a wonderful, accurate resource for everyone, their resources and people are stretched thin. With other duties and assignments, including getting donated food and supplies to the firefighters, updating their Facebook page is not (and should not be) a priority. Interested people are advised to tune into 93.5 FM-KBHT, they are regularly interrupting programming with information on the Leon County fires, as well as other fires in east Texas, including up to date evacuation orders. If you cannot pick up the station due to poor reception, you can listen live online by going to http://kbht.com and clicking on the listen now link in the upper left corner.
The Firefighters and Volunteers:
The firefighters of Leon County are volunteers, and they deserve many thanks for the grueling work they are doing. There have been numerous firefighters and volunteers helping from Marquez, Jewett, Buffalo, Centerville, and many other surrounding towns and counties, including Brazos County. There have also been several citizens voluntarily putting themselves on the line to help keep their neighbors homes safe and serving in many other ways, small and large. To be personal for a moment, I know that I speak for everyone when I say thank you for putting yourself in between homes and the fires, for giving up time with your family, giving up sleep, and working tirelessly. I know that you do not want recognition, or praise, but words are not enough to express the gratitude and love felt for each and every one of you.
A Sense of Community:
Prayers have gone up everywhere, from county to county, throughout the state, onward, reaching as far away as Germany. Through it all, the citizen of Leon County have come together, praying with one another, checking on each other’s homes, property, and families, helping in whatever way they can. They’ve stayed up all night, keeping each other company, chatting with and updating one another through websites like Facebook, and through phone calls and text messages. They have poured out their love through donations to help the firefighters- water, food, and other much needed supplies. They have volunteered, cooking meals and serving them to weary firefighters and other volunteers. Leon County folks are made of hearty stuff. This county made up of little out of the way towns and communities that many have never heard of is a shining example of love and fellowship that this writer is very proud to be a part of.
What You Can Do To Help:
If you live in or near the area, and would like to help, donations for firefighters can be dropped off at the following:
Kountry Korner, in Marquez, TX
Davis Country Store in Buffalo, TX
Becky’s Cottage in Normangee, TX
Jewett Civic Center in Jewett, TX
Centerville Fire Department in Centerville, TX
Things that can help are: dust masks, eye drops, Chap stick, Vaseline, bandanas and rags that can be soaked, bottled water, Gatorade, Powerade, and portable foods like fruit cups, granola bars, snack crackers, etc.
Thanks:
To all the Firefighters, Texas Forest Service, DPS officers, pilots, and all the numerous volunteers and others not named, there are not enough words to convey our thanks. You are courageous, awesome people whose efforts are not recognized nearly enough, working in dangerous conditions putting your lives on the line. Thank God for you.
93.5 FM-KBHT, more specifically Carla Leigh, for your tireless updates and most accurate coverage on evacuations, and the status of the fire. You guys Rock!
Leon County Emergency Management, thanks for updating information when you can and letting us know what we can do to help!
While efforts have been made as to accuracy, there have been many conflicting reports. Every effort will be made to correct mistakes.
Sources:
Leon County Emergency Management on Facebook
KWTX.com
KBTX.com
93.5 FM KBHT
Maria Elena Kruger, “CONCORD, TX (LEON COUNTY),” Handbook of Texas Online ( http://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hnc87 ), accessed September 06, 2011. Published by the Texas State Historical Association.