Texas Fires

[Dave]

Hey, you guys in Texas, Leon, Swingman, I'm hearing about huge wildfires down your way. You two and others in danger in your area?

[Richard]

They are only huge by comparison.

A fire the size of Connecticut would be a good sized blaze.

[Sonny]

My cousins, David & Matt, have 125 acres w/camp near Colmesneil (east TX, north of Woodville, west of Sam Rayburn Lake). We often go out there on weekends, just to get away. This past week Matt was out there and reported a forest ranger spotted some arsonists, called for backup and the pursuit was on. Shots were fired and one ranger was run over and killed. The arsonists were captured.

Part of David's property was burned and the forest service had to doze through the property to help extinguish the fire and keep it from spreading. David lives in Houston and is to drive up this weekend, to check out the damage. I may drive over to meet him.

Matt also reported the area got about 2" of rain from TS Lee, which helped quench the brunt of some of those fires in east Texas.

Sonny

[Swingman]

So far not in our immediate area.

My Dad did have to move some of his horses in training at another location yesterday (near Magnolia, TX, just North of Houston ... he's located in White Hall, which is about 60 miles NW from me). AAMOF, the road I take to my Dad's was closed this morning due to that same fire just SE of him.

Talked to folks I built a house for near Bastrop yesterday and they are most definitely close to the danger and keeping a close eye out.

Thanks for the thoughts ...

[Robatoy]

Stay safe...all of you. I have only ever seen a small one and I was amazed by the speed those fires moved.

[Swingman]

Captured? WTF for? I'd shot them MF's dead on the spot!

I was in Basic with a guy from Colmesneil. "Mule" Menefee. A big, black guy strong enough to rip me in half bare handed, but as gentle as a newborn kitten. AAMOF, so gentle that I had to take him under my wing to get him through the program, and shared the same cubicle with him the entire time. Saw his obit in the paper not long ago ... could kick my own ass for not taking the time to look him up. One of the nicest, most gentle people I've ever had the privilege of knowing. RIP Mule!

Thanks for the memory flashback!

[Leon]

Not yet although there have been a lot of kinda close ones in NW Houston. I have been smelling smoke for 3 days now.

[Han]

Leon wrote in news: [e-mail]:

I hope you guys stay safe. Forest fires aren't fun.

Some years ago there were forest fires in Canada, big one, and we saw a blue haze and smelled smoke on a sailing boat off Rockport, Me. I hope all stays just that far away from you guys.

[Martin Eastburn]

The firestorms are North of me and southwest of me.

I'm in Lufkin - fires up around the Tyler area in general.

We had some 10 miles south - but they were put out. Phew.

Those in Bastrop - near Austin that is - central Texas are really nasty as well. Lots of homes lost and the forest and general area is going to look bad for some time.

Nasty storms and people start most.

Mart>

[Leon]

Fortunately for me I am in a new subdivision with no old trees and few old trees near by. We have seen several grass fires near by but those are mostly in the empty dry fields.

[dpb]

We're not down there but niece's FIL lost house couple days ago near Longview area.

They finally released the CRP grass for emergency drought relief haying (no new growth, but the old standing grass is roughage that is, as my grandfather was wont to say during the 30s before I was around and the

50s during which I was, "it's better than a dustball"). At least that gets the really tall dead stuff off around the house. We are in an area that is 5x7 miles of all unbroken CRP (Conservation Reserve Program) native grass with only a few quarters broken out and not roads through many of the section lines. If it gets going w/ the winds prevalent here, there's little chance of stopping it in time...

Praise be, it's sprinkling some this morning--not enough to be measurable moisture but is damp and the string of triple-digit temperatures did come to an end this week for at least a little while...

--

[Robert Allison]

We have a 35,000 acre fire over here by Bastrop, 0% contained. Drove through the smoke on the way back from Houston. Got back here and my sister, who lives between Magnolia and Tomball, is not in immediate danger unless the winds change. She and my BIL are kind of anxious as everything is dry as a tinderbox everywhere. We have had 2 inches of rain so far this year and that ain't enough. Just had the fire just south of us in San Antonio, but winds are out of the north, so no problem for us.

So far, we are good.