(no subject)

Last night we had dinner at this new Indian place that opened up right over by the grocery store. It was delicious, and I just remembered I have leftovers to eat for breakfast. (Bombay Masala curry with prawns!)

It is windy today.

everything is burning.

When I opened the front door just now, I could smell smoke in the air. Looking over the trees to the east, you can see the haze in the sky from the fire burning on the other side of I35. That one is about 200 acres now. Another round of sirens just passed by and it seems like resources are spread terribly thin. There are fires in Pflugerville, Cedar Park, the Steiner Ranch subdivision near the lake, Bastrop, everywhere. It's been happening since this morning, made worse with the high winds. One of the neighbors lost a medium size tree limb that's currently balanced precariously on the corner of the fence. Nothing was damaged and I don't think anything could come close to hitting our house. Still. It's hard to watch the trees swaying, knowing the drought renders them brittle and more prone to break than bend.

This is like some cruel, last fuck you by summer. Our 80th day of 100+ degrees, and hopefully the last as a "cold" front comes through to drop our highs into the 90s. I was almost excited about it this morning, until everything started burning. People are losing their homes right now. There's a big fire burning out off 71, in my beloved country. The wind is helping the flames jump roads. It's frightening, even though the actual fires are a few miles away. Hundreds of acres are on fire right now. It's so bad that they are using the STAR flight helicopter to carry buckets of water to the major fires in Pflugerville. All the departments are out now, spread thin with so much happening all at once.

It's really just sad and scary and there's absolutely nothing to do but hope it doesn't come nearer to us.

from the statesman's ongoing coverage

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/blotter/entries/2011/09/04/fires_raging_throughout_centra.html

The fire in Bastrop County has been confirmed to have burned 14,000 acres and has grown to become an estimated 16 miles long, said Mark Stanford, fire chief of the Texas Forest Service.

“It’s catastrophic,” Stanford said of the Bastrop County fire. “It’s a major natural disaster.”

Forest service spokeswoman Lexi Maxwell said that fire began around 2 p.m. in the Circle D subdivision off State Highway 71. It merged with another fire north of there which pushed south and crossed over State Highways 21 and 71, Maxwell said. Aerial units estimated at least 300 homes had been damaged or destroyed by the fire.

Today’s fires have taxed every fire department in Travis County. The Austin Fire Department 14 available fire units in Austin, but can only send one fire truck to the scene of traffic accidents currently, DeCrane said. They’re also not sending units to low priority (non-emergency) 911 calls.

EARLIER: Firefighters are battling fires across Central Texas right now, including one that has burned through nearly 200 acres in Pflugerville and others that are currently forcing evacuations in Pflugerville, Steiner Ranch and Bastrop County.

A grass fire has consumed 200 acres in the Weiss Lane area of Pflugerville and is not yet under control, said Travis County sheriff’s department spokesman Roger Wade. Another 10 homes are currently in the path of the fire. Firefighters are taking steps to protect those homes by wetting down areas and other fire prevention techniques, he said.

Meanwhile, firefighters are battling fires at two homes in the Gatlinburg subdivision on Pigeon Ford Road in Pflugerville. The fire ran along the fence line separating the houses and jumped to a hay field. The fire is now threatening the nearby Boulder Ridge subdivision, which has been evacuated, said Pflugerville spokeswoman Terri Waggoner. Waggoner said the cause of that fire is undetermined and that rumors of arson are false.

“There is no arson, no suspicion of arson, and the source is still unknown,” she said. In Bastrop County, the Colony subdivision is being evacuated. It is located off of Highway 71, several miles west of Bastrop.

A separate fire east of Bastrop has burned through 6,000 acres, according to the office of Bastrop Judge Ronnie McDonald. Texas 71 and Texas 21 east of Bastrop are closed, and the fire is not contained, his office said.

People at the Steiner Ranch subdivision, in northwest Travis County off of RM 620, are also being evacuated. Three homes are currently on fire, and the fires are still spreading, said Assistant Fire Chief John Durham.

“We don’t have any containment,” Durham said. “We being told there are no aircraft resources available, so this is a ground battle.”

Earlier today, a fire in Cedar Park ignited in a field behind houses on Bois D’Arc Lane and destroyed two homes. Fire Chief Chris Connealy said the fire was reported about 11:30 a.m. and was considered contained by 1:45 p.m. Crews will remain on the scene to spread fire retardant and watch for flareups, he said.

The two families who lost their homes, in the 2600 block of Bois D’Arc, were getting help from the Red Cross and a local church.

from ynn tonight

http://austin.ynn.com/content/top_stories/280309/travis-co--responders-work-double-time-to-battle-heavy-blazes

Several representatives from local emergency services agencies gathered Sunday night to provide an update on the wildfires in Travis County.

Here’s a breakdown of some of the numbers:

• Three firefighters were injured battling blazes in Travis County Sunday, all of them minor.

• At least 25 homes have burned in Steiner Ranch and two homes in Pflugerville.

• Five ambulances are on the scene of every fire location, making sure firefighters are well-hydrated.

• Travis County EMS has not experienced an increase in call volume from among residents affected by the fires.

• Fires in Pedernales and Steiner Ranch are still burning. All resources are currently in use.

• Fire teams from other areas are helping to fight all Travis County fires.

• Officials are bracing for the situation to worsen as dry and windy conditions continue Monday.

• Shelters are available for evacuees at the Briarcliff Community Center, Vandegrift High School, Henderickson High School, Bastrop Middle School and Smithville Recreation.

• Evacuees are asked to take medications and pets with them.

• All emergency responders stress for homeowners who have been asked to evacuate to please leave their residence immediately.

all over the sky

This is my favorite part of Texas, this swath of country right here. It's an hour south and a little bit to the east from where I live, and there are pine trees there. They call it Lost Pines, as if the trees somehow wandered off from the herd and settled down here while their brethren marched north. I would imagine that every time I drove through that part of the state, marching pine trees like Ents. It's burning and burning, miles of fire. My heart aches with it and I just don't even know how to express this sick, sad feeling.