FIRST PERSON | Due to a yearlong drought, months of extreme temperatures and high winds from Tropical Storm Lee, Texas is facing some of the worst wildfires in history. More than 1,000 homes have been lost so far and more than 5,000 evacuated. There is no end in sight to the fires at this time.
We had more than 70 straight days of triple-digit temperatures before Lee brought us some much-needed relief. The only problem? It also brought a great deal of wind, which was the perfect scenario to spark wildfires. Currently, my house is safe but smoke fills the air all around and several small fires are just miles from my house. They are contained right now and we continue to hope they stay that way. Nearby military base Fort Hood is supplying all the forces its can to the areas affected, but Fort Hood itself is burning.
Currently the fire at Fort Hood poses no threat to residential structures but residents with asthma and respiratory problems are advised to stay indoors and avoid smoke exposure as much as possible. This is another fear for my family as I am nearly six months pregnant, have asthma and allergies and all four of my children have asthma and allergies. For now, we’re staying inside and keeping up with updates in case evacuation is called in our area.
Rick Perry Returns to Texas
Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who is running as a Republican presidential candidate, cut short his campaign visit in South Carolina Monday to return to the state and help.
“I urge Texans to take extreme caution as we continue to see the devastating effects of sweeping wildfires impacting both rural and urban areas of the state,” Perry said in a statement, reports Reuters.
However, overnight 22 new fires erupted, 10 of them classified as “large” by the Texas Forest Service. Combined, these new fires have already consumed 7,544 acres of area across Texas. While Central Texas is being hit the hardest, there are more than 85 active wildfires burning in the state, with some stretching into neighboring states Arkansas, Oklahoma and Louisiana as well.
Texans are encouraged to avoid any activities that could increase the danger of fires, avoiding tossing out cigarettes (even when you think they have been put out) and avoid any and all outdoor burning. Burn bans have already been in effect for almost all of the state’s 254 counties. However, some people are unaware of how easily a fire can be started in such extreme drought conditions. A spark from a power line can be all it takes to ignite a massive wildfire like the ones we are seeing right now.
This map shows wildfires larger than 100 acres of area since Sept. 5, 2011.