Burntorange70
Well-Known Member
Hang in there. Prayers sent.
PRAYERS NEEDED: Wild fires in Central Texas
- Thread starter TXDart
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Latest wildfire information
500 homes destroyed, 5,000 people displaced
Updated: Monday, 05 Sep 2011, 4:34 PM CDT
Published : Sunday, 04 Sep 2011, 7:02 PM CDT
Jarrod Wise
Erin Cargile
AUSTIN (KXAN) - All across the Greater Austin area on Monday, officials and residents were coming to grips with the magnitude of damage inflicted by the series wind-fueled wildfires that destroyed more than 500 homes and charred about 25,000 acres.
The fires displaced some 6,000 residents and officials said there was no telling when they could expect to return. Schools in Bastrop and in West Austin's Steiner Ranch subdivision will remain closed until further notice.
And nearly every public safety entity in the region is stretched nearly to it's limits.
"We are not out of the woods on this thing yet," Mayor Lee Leffingwell said from a noon news conference near Steiner Ranch where the only good news issued was that the fire that flattened 24 and damaged 30 others homes was 20 percent contained and that no one was seriously injured.
In Bastrop, the picture was far more bleak: At least 476 homes destroyed; 5,000 people displaced; the main highways in and out of the town closed.
And the fire that stretched along line measuring 16 miles continued to spread across fields and woodlands that have been starving for rain all summer.
"It is not contained at this time," said Bastrop County Judge Ronnie McDonald during morning news briefing at the Bastrop Convention Center. "It's going to get worse before it gets better."
Mike Fisher, the county's emergency management coordinator, said officials are putting together a re-entry plan, but are not yet in a position to implement it.
"The danger is too great now to allow anyone back in except law enforcement," Fisher said.
Fisher and McDonald said fixed-wing aircraft as well as Blackhawk helicopters are being deployed to battle the fire from the air.
Residents of Bastrop's Tahitian Village and Bluebonnet acres were evacuated Monday.
The Bastrop school district announced that all classes will be canceled on Tuesday.
County Road 304 south to Watterson Road was closed Monday morning, as was State Highway 21 eastbound between Bastrop and U.S. 290. State Highway 71 between Bastrop and Austin was closed. It was also closed between Bastrop and Smithville.
In Bastrop, officials said the best numbers to call for emergency information are 512-332-8814 or 512-332-8856.
Gov. Rick Perry put his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination on hold and return to Texas from South Carolina later Monday.
A special KXAN page has been established to direct donations to where they are needed to help people affected by the fires.
Meanwhile, the Lower Colorado River Authority said a portion of Lake Travis was closed Monday to allow aircraft to draw water from the lake to fight wildfires. The area from Mile Marker 1 to Mansfield Dam is closed to all traffic effectively immediately.
The boat ramp at Mansfield Dam Park is closed, but the park remains open. Boats can be removed from the water, but no launches will be permitted until the aircraft operations are completed later today.
Below is the latest emergency information. Stay with KXAN News for details as they emerge.
Shelters
Vandergrift High School- 9500 McNeil Drive, Austin. Working with Red Cross as an official shelter. Pets and families welcome.
St. Lukes Episcopal Church on Highway 620 (5600 RM 620 North, Austin, TX 78732)
St. Thomas Moore on North 620 (10205 N FM 620, Austin, TX 78726-2210)
Austin Christian Fellowship is offering homes in the community willing to host your family! 6401 Riverplace Blvd, Austin, TX 78730 www.acfellowship.org . (Contact: Todd Lewis at 512-461-2711 or email him at [email protected])
An evacuation website has also been established for Steiner Ranch residents.
Evacuation hot line
512-974-6199
BASTROP AREA EVACUATIONS
Bastrop Middle School, 709 Old Austin Highway
Bastrop Church of Christ, FM 287 FM 20. For infomation, call 512-303-4597.
First Baptist Church, Smithville, 300 Hudgins St.
Grace Lutheran, Smithville, 308 Byrne St,
Smithville Recreation Center, 106 Royston St.
500 homes destroyed, 5,000 people displaced
Updated: Monday, 05 Sep 2011, 4:34 PM CDT
Published : Sunday, 04 Sep 2011, 7:02 PM CDT
Jarrod Wise
Erin Cargile
AUSTIN (KXAN) - All across the Greater Austin area on Monday, officials and residents were coming to grips with the magnitude of damage inflicted by the series wind-fueled wildfires that destroyed more than 500 homes and charred about 25,000 acres.
The fires displaced some 6,000 residents and officials said there was no telling when they could expect to return. Schools in Bastrop and in West Austin's Steiner Ranch subdivision will remain closed until further notice.
And nearly every public safety entity in the region is stretched nearly to it's limits.
"We are not out of the woods on this thing yet," Mayor Lee Leffingwell said from a noon news conference near Steiner Ranch where the only good news issued was that the fire that flattened 24 and damaged 30 others homes was 20 percent contained and that no one was seriously injured.
In Bastrop, the picture was far more bleak: At least 476 homes destroyed; 5,000 people displaced; the main highways in and out of the town closed.
And the fire that stretched along line measuring 16 miles continued to spread across fields and woodlands that have been starving for rain all summer.
"It is not contained at this time," said Bastrop County Judge Ronnie McDonald during morning news briefing at the Bastrop Convention Center. "It's going to get worse before it gets better."
Mike Fisher, the county's emergency management coordinator, said officials are putting together a re-entry plan, but are not yet in a position to implement it.
"The danger is too great now to allow anyone back in except law enforcement," Fisher said.
Fisher and McDonald said fixed-wing aircraft as well as Blackhawk helicopters are being deployed to battle the fire from the air.
Residents of Bastrop's Tahitian Village and Bluebonnet acres were evacuated Monday.
The Bastrop school district announced that all classes will be canceled on Tuesday.
County Road 304 south to Watterson Road was closed Monday morning, as was State Highway 21 eastbound between Bastrop and U.S. 290. State Highway 71 between Bastrop and Austin was closed. It was also closed between Bastrop and Smithville.
In Bastrop, officials said the best numbers to call for emergency information are 512-332-8814 or 512-332-8856.
Gov. Rick Perry put his campaign for the Republican presidential nomination on hold and return to Texas from South Carolina later Monday.
A special KXAN page has been established to direct donations to where they are needed to help people affected by the fires.
Meanwhile, the Lower Colorado River Authority said a portion of Lake Travis was closed Monday to allow aircraft to draw water from the lake to fight wildfires. The area from Mile Marker 1 to Mansfield Dam is closed to all traffic effectively immediately.
The boat ramp at Mansfield Dam Park is closed, but the park remains open. Boats can be removed from the water, but no launches will be permitted until the aircraft operations are completed later today.
Below is the latest emergency information. Stay with KXAN News for details as they emerge.
Shelters
Vandergrift High School- 9500 McNeil Drive, Austin. Working with Red Cross as an official shelter. Pets and families welcome.
St. Lukes Episcopal Church on Highway 620 (5600 RM 620 North, Austin, TX 78732)
St. Thomas Moore on North 620 (10205 N FM 620, Austin, TX 78726-2210)
Austin Christian Fellowship is offering homes in the community willing to host your family! 6401 Riverplace Blvd, Austin, TX 78730 www.acfellowship.org . (Contact: Todd Lewis at 512-461-2711 or email him at [email protected])
An evacuation website has also been established for Steiner Ranch residents.
Evacuation hot line
512-974-6199
BASTROP AREA EVACUATIONS
Bastrop Middle School, 709 Old Austin Highway
Bastrop Church of Christ, FM 287 FM 20. For infomation, call 512-303-4597.
First Baptist Church, Smithville, 300 Hudgins St.
Grace Lutheran, Smithville, 308 Byrne St,
Smithville Recreation Center, 106 Royston St.
Williamson County issued a Red Flag Warning.No bbq pits,no lawn mowing ,welding or any open flame outdoors.Violators will be arrested.
Red Cross is accepting donations.
512-928-4271 or 1-800-928-4271
www.centex.redcross.org
Red Cross is accepting donations.
512-928-4271 or 1-800-928-4271
www.centex.redcross.org
Prayers on the way Martin.
Please be safe.
Please be safe.
Thanks Tony,
Everything is fine at my homestead.Closest fire to me is that Bastrop fire and it west of me and at least 25 miles away and moving south.Watering my dead grass right now and waiting by the phone.I volunteer with the hays county emergency response and I got my truck fueled up and ready for whatever.
Help some people get some belongings moved from just east of Bastrop and the smoke is thick.
Forgot about my friend Dearl who lives almost in Bastrop,got a call into him and he has evacuated his family and kids and is holding the fort down,both water wells going,his 4x4 ready to exit the back way and his boat ready to go in the Colorado River as last resort.Wish I could have gone to visit him last night but did not think of it.
We get smoke once a year when Mexico burn their crop fields and it always amazes me how we can smell it so far away.
I can not see any smoke ,where I live but you can smell it.
Just cooked my Labor Day dinner in the oven instead of BBQ pit,first for a Holiday.
I feel for all that have lost their homes but we have not heard of any deaths.
Sure does put things in perspective though,when you thing life is not so good,look around a lot of people have it worst than you.
Martin
TXDart
Everything is fine at my homestead.Closest fire to me is that Bastrop fire and it west of me and at least 25 miles away and moving south.Watering my dead grass right now and waiting by the phone.I volunteer with the hays county emergency response and I got my truck fueled up and ready for whatever.
Help some people get some belongings moved from just east of Bastrop and the smoke is thick.
Forgot about my friend Dearl who lives almost in Bastrop,got a call into him and he has evacuated his family and kids and is holding the fort down,both water wells going,his 4x4 ready to exit the back way and his boat ready to go in the Colorado River as last resort.Wish I could have gone to visit him last night but did not think of it.
We get smoke once a year when Mexico burn their crop fields and it always amazes me how we can smell it so far away.
I can not see any smoke ,where I live but you can smell it.
Just cooked my Labor Day dinner in the oven instead of BBQ pit,first for a Holiday.
I feel for all that have lost their homes but we have not heard of any deaths.
Sure does put things in perspective though,when you thing life is not so good,look around a lot of people have it worst than you.
Martin
TXDart
383Duster
Well-Known Member
Fires west of Ft Worth have caused major issues also....glad you and yours are OK.
SleeperScamp
Well-Known Member
Fires are now all over East Texas .. Huge fire in Cass County.. 0% contained..
CUUDAK
Well-Known Member
Huge fire less than 20 miles from me in Todd Mission where the Texas Renaissance Festival is held. A large mulch pile caused this one. Friends were evacuated last night. Unknown if their homes survived, but over 20 have burned. The fire is still burning and the wind is picking up. More evacuations expected through the day.
I will keep praying. Don't they have modified C130's that can pick up water and dump it?
SleeperScamp
Well-Known Member
One fire yesterday was burning ten acres a minute.. Don't know if anyone has ever seen pines catch fire or not but they burn like they are covered in gasoline..
SleeperScamp
Well-Known Member
Just got word the fire in Cass county near Linden is 14000 acres..
CUUDAK
Well-Known Member
2012?
Geez,
Hurricanes Flood Fire Earthquakes WTH! Maybe the Mayans got it wrong?
Geez,
Hurricanes Flood Fire Earthquakes WTH! Maybe the Mayans got it wrong?
Governor Perry said this morning that some federal plane is coming to help.
Last night we got down to 59 degrees(first night this summer that the a/c unit did not kick on) and very little wind,high today barely over 90.
Coldest night time temperature in 4 1/2 months.
Firefighters today have finally made some headway due to Mother Nature gift of lower temps and little wind.
I heard a fire is within 15 miles from my house behind our neighborhood and that is all woods,doubt it will ever make it but it does worry you.
Back to work,I am one man down today and today is a typical Monday,just on Tuesday...
Keep those prayers coming for all your Texan friends (Sure did work last night with that cold front and little wind)
God Bless all of you,
Martin
TXDart
Last night we got down to 59 degrees(first night this summer that the a/c unit did not kick on) and very little wind,high today barely over 90.
Coldest night time temperature in 4 1/2 months.
Firefighters today have finally made some headway due to Mother Nature gift of lower temps and little wind.
I heard a fire is within 15 miles from my house behind our neighborhood and that is all woods,doubt it will ever make it but it does worry you.
Back to work,I am one man down today and today is a typical Monday,just on Tuesday...
Keep those prayers coming for all your Texan friends (Sure did work last night with that cold front and little wind)
God Bless all of you,
Martin
TXDart
Is that above Marshall and longveiw in East Texas and Is that near Kilgore?
Man We been praying for a hurricane and it keeps missing us?
All our area lakes are pretty low and I do not thing a C130 would be able to get water without crashing and too far from the coast.
bobscuda67
Well-Known Member
Hoping and praying that you get some rain. Stay safe.
mattsmopars
Well-Known Member
Prayers sent!
Matt
Matt
mullinax95
Well-Known Member
Wow!! Just caught you thread!
Prayers sent!!
Prayers sent!!
Bastrop fire burns 34,000 acres; two people killed
A massive wildfire is still burning, after covering more than 34,000 acres and destroying about 550 homes. Officials now say two people have lost their lives.
A massive wildfire is still burning, after covering more than 34,000 acres and destroying about 550 homes. Officials now say two people have lost their lives.
More...
All that devastation any hope of getting the fire under control or out?
SleeperScamp
Well-Known Member
No words..
Steiner Ranch to Reopen at Noon
Updated: Tuesday, 06 Sep 2011, 4:50 PM CDT
Published : Tuesday, 06 Sep 2011, 8:47 AM CDT
Steiner Ranch will be reopened to residents Tuesday at noon. Residents have been unable to return home since Sunday when a fire broke out in the subdivision.
Travis County Sheriff's deputies will allow people to enter the community beginning at noon Quinlan Park Road. Access from RM 620 will not be opened until later in the day when the traffic along 620 dissipates.
Deputies have asked people not to start lining up to get into the neighborhood any earlier than 11:30 in order to keep traffic problems to a minimum.
The areas that have been heavily damaged by the fire will have restricted access. Homeowners that live in those areas will have to show a photo ID to deputies in order to obtain access.
Fire department officials say that the fire is still only 45% contained and that residents should call to report any hot spots they see. Travis County Sheriff's Office officials urged residents to be patient if they need to report any crimes such as burglaries. Deputies are stretched very thin and it might take some time before they are able to respond to each call.
Officials say that 24 homes were destroyed and another 30 were damaged by the fire, though an estimated 300 homes were spared.
A shelter was set up at Vandergrift High School at 9500 McNeil Drive. Those that have been evacuated can receive the latest evacuation information by calling 512-974-6199. Officials have compiled a list of what homes were destroyed. Residents who register at the high school and show a photo ID can see if their home was damaged.
Officials have not let residents return to their homes, except for a few who were able to return with officials to retrieve medicine. Those people that need to return to their homes to retrieve medicine or pets are being instructed to go to Vandergrift High School and speak with officials.
Leander ISD has closed Bush, River Ridge, and Steiner Elementary Schools, as well as Canyon Ridge Middle and Four Points Middle School. Vandergrift High School will also be closed.
Austin Energy has restored power to more than 50 percent of the homes in the area.
LINK: Updates on Fire from Austin Homeland Security and Emergency Management
Read more: http://www.myfoxaustin.com/dpp/top_...Evacuation-Order-20110906-ktbcw#ixzz1XDSVhYOV
Updated: Tuesday, 06 Sep 2011, 4:50 PM CDT
Published : Tuesday, 06 Sep 2011, 8:47 AM CDT
Steiner Ranch will be reopened to residents Tuesday at noon. Residents have been unable to return home since Sunday when a fire broke out in the subdivision.
Travis County Sheriff's deputies will allow people to enter the community beginning at noon Quinlan Park Road. Access from RM 620 will not be opened until later in the day when the traffic along 620 dissipates.
Deputies have asked people not to start lining up to get into the neighborhood any earlier than 11:30 in order to keep traffic problems to a minimum.
The areas that have been heavily damaged by the fire will have restricted access. Homeowners that live in those areas will have to show a photo ID to deputies in order to obtain access.
Fire department officials say that the fire is still only 45% contained and that residents should call to report any hot spots they see. Travis County Sheriff's Office officials urged residents to be patient if they need to report any crimes such as burglaries. Deputies are stretched very thin and it might take some time before they are able to respond to each call.
Officials say that 24 homes were destroyed and another 30 were damaged by the fire, though an estimated 300 homes were spared.
A shelter was set up at Vandergrift High School at 9500 McNeil Drive. Those that have been evacuated can receive the latest evacuation information by calling 512-974-6199. Officials have compiled a list of what homes were destroyed. Residents who register at the high school and show a photo ID can see if their home was damaged.
Officials have not let residents return to their homes, except for a few who were able to return with officials to retrieve medicine. Those people that need to return to their homes to retrieve medicine or pets are being instructed to go to Vandergrift High School and speak with officials.
Leander ISD has closed Bush, River Ridge, and Steiner Elementary Schools, as well as Canyon Ridge Middle and Four Points Middle School. Vandergrift High School will also be closed.
Austin Energy has restored power to more than 50 percent of the homes in the area.
LINK: Updates on Fire from Austin Homeland Security and Emergency Management
Read more: http://www.myfoxaustin.com/dpp/top_...Evacuation-Order-20110906-ktbcw#ixzz1XDSVhYOV
Steiner Ranch Fire is 45 percent contained.
Bastop Fire is where all the firefighters are at,from all over texas they have showed up.All air support is concentrated on this fire....
Another reason why Steiner ranch fire is no more contained ,they have no air support.
They are not giving containment number ,It has been at zero,but they made some headway for sure today compared to the winds we had yesterday and Sunday.
Bastrop,has or should I say had a lot of Huge pine tree,Bastrop State Park is half wiped out and the trees their were all pine trees.
They will get this mean fire out,It has jump the Colorado River a couple of times but they always got those out...The river is keeping it on one side.
Texas wildfires scorch homes; death toll climbs to 4
By the CNN Wire Staff
September 6, 2011 7:10 p.m. EDT
Bastrop, Texas (CNN) -- A fast-moving wildfire near Austin, Texas, killed two people, officials said Tuesday, as firefighters fought to gain the upper hand against flames, wind and fatigue.
The deaths raise the overall toll from the outbreak of fires to four lives lost. A wildfire killed a woman and her 18-month-old child Sunday when flames engulfed their home near Gladewater, officials said.
"Texas is in a difficult situation right now, and our priorities are pretty simple. No. 1 is to protect life at all costs," said Nim Kidd, chief of the state Division of Emergency Management.
The Texas Forest Service said it has responded to 181 fires that have burned more than 118,400 acres over the last week.
Perry: Wildfires trump politics
Wildfire prompts evacuations in Texas
Wall of smoke dominates Texas skyline
Wildfires continue to plague Texas
RELATED TOPICS
Wildfires
Texas
Austin (Texas)
Bastrop County
The fires have destroyed more than 700 homes since Sunday, according to the forest service. More than 1,000 homes have burned in the state since fire season began in November, Gov. Rick Perry's office said.
The largest fire, near Austin, has spread across 30,000 acres, destroying more than 600 homes and forcing the evacuations of at least 5,000 people, officials said Tuesday. Known as the Bastrop County Complex, the fire has burned largely uncontrolled since it began Sunday afternoon.
The two people killed by the blaze near Austin were not public safety personnel, according to incident command officials. The officials declined to offer details.
"I don't think it's registered in our brains that our house is gone and that, really, half of Bastrop is gone," said evacuee Claire Johnson.
The danger from a fire near Houston -- called the Magnolia fire -- appeared to be lessening for the most populated areas. Officials in Harris County, which includes Houston, said the fire was no longer a threat there. Also, many residents were being allowed back into their homes Tuesday in neighboring Montgomery County.
About 4,000 homes in Montgomery had been evacuated, according to Lt. Dan Norris of the county's emergency management office. Firefighters continued to battle hot spots in Montgomery, but the bulk of the problems from the Magnolia fire now appear to be centered in Waller and Grimes counties, Norris said.
Another blaze in Grimes County, the Riley Road fire, has destroyed 20 homes and has hundreds more in its path, the forest service said. It had burned 3,000 acres as of Tuesday, according to the forest service.
Two major fires in Travis County destroyed 44 structures and damaged 74 others, Roger Wade, a spokesman for the Travis County Sheriff's Office, said Tuesday.
Four firefighters working the Magnolia fire were taken to a hospital for treatment of heat exhaustion, according to the Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management. One also had an ankle injury. All injuries were minor, the agency said.
The Bastrop County fire started Sunday and spread quickly Monday on winds fueled by what was once Tropical Storm Lee.
As the fire spread, firefighters would leave one structure thinking it was safe to work on another, only to return and find the first building had burned, said Tim Simpson, a firefighter deployed to Texas from Johnsondale, California.
"We were doing everything we could," he said.
Firefighters accustomed to attacking a fire head-on could do little more than pick around the edges, trying to protect whatever they could, said Tom Boggus, director of the Texas Forest Service.
"We've been very defensive. It's all we could do until now," he said. "By the end of the day, we hope to gain a lot of ground on this."
Winds that had peaked at nearly 30 mph had calmed to little more than half that Tuesday, giving firefighters a chance to move to the fire's front and try to slow its advance, Boggus said.
Still, the damage is staggering, said officials who have toured the area.
"Bastrop County is not the same," county Judge Ronnie McDonald told CNN affiliate KXAN-TV in Austin.
The historic drought in Texas has created ideal conditions for the rapid spread of wildfire.
So far in 2011, 7.2 million acres of grass, scrub and forest have burned in wildfires nationwide. Of those, 3.5 million acres -- nearly half -- have been in Texas, according to Inciweb, a fire-tracking website maintained by state and federal agencies.
Tuesday marks the 294th consecutive day of wildfires in Texas, according to Inciweb.
More than 2,000 firefighters are working fires across the state, Boggus said.
Fatigue is a major issue, he added, especially for volunteer firefighters from local departments who form the backbone of the response. Boggus said Texas officials are seeking additional resources from around the country to help battle the fires.
CNN's Jim Spellman, Chris Welch, Melanie Whitley and Rich Phillips and journalist Jocelyn Lane contributed to this report.
By the CNN Wire Staff
September 6, 2011 7:10 p.m. EDT
Bastrop, Texas (CNN) -- A fast-moving wildfire near Austin, Texas, killed two people, officials said Tuesday, as firefighters fought to gain the upper hand against flames, wind and fatigue.
The deaths raise the overall toll from the outbreak of fires to four lives lost. A wildfire killed a woman and her 18-month-old child Sunday when flames engulfed their home near Gladewater, officials said.
"Texas is in a difficult situation right now, and our priorities are pretty simple. No. 1 is to protect life at all costs," said Nim Kidd, chief of the state Division of Emergency Management.
The Texas Forest Service said it has responded to 181 fires that have burned more than 118,400 acres over the last week.
Perry: Wildfires trump politics
Wildfire prompts evacuations in Texas
Wall of smoke dominates Texas skyline
Wildfires continue to plague Texas
RELATED TOPICS
Wildfires
Texas
Austin (Texas)
Bastrop County
The fires have destroyed more than 700 homes since Sunday, according to the forest service. More than 1,000 homes have burned in the state since fire season began in November, Gov. Rick Perry's office said.
The largest fire, near Austin, has spread across 30,000 acres, destroying more than 600 homes and forcing the evacuations of at least 5,000 people, officials said Tuesday. Known as the Bastrop County Complex, the fire has burned largely uncontrolled since it began Sunday afternoon.
The two people killed by the blaze near Austin were not public safety personnel, according to incident command officials. The officials declined to offer details.
"I don't think it's registered in our brains that our house is gone and that, really, half of Bastrop is gone," said evacuee Claire Johnson.
The danger from a fire near Houston -- called the Magnolia fire -- appeared to be lessening for the most populated areas. Officials in Harris County, which includes Houston, said the fire was no longer a threat there. Also, many residents were being allowed back into their homes Tuesday in neighboring Montgomery County.
About 4,000 homes in Montgomery had been evacuated, according to Lt. Dan Norris of the county's emergency management office. Firefighters continued to battle hot spots in Montgomery, but the bulk of the problems from the Magnolia fire now appear to be centered in Waller and Grimes counties, Norris said.
Another blaze in Grimes County, the Riley Road fire, has destroyed 20 homes and has hundreds more in its path, the forest service said. It had burned 3,000 acres as of Tuesday, according to the forest service.
Two major fires in Travis County destroyed 44 structures and damaged 74 others, Roger Wade, a spokesman for the Travis County Sheriff's Office, said Tuesday.
Four firefighters working the Magnolia fire were taken to a hospital for treatment of heat exhaustion, according to the Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management. One also had an ankle injury. All injuries were minor, the agency said.
The Bastrop County fire started Sunday and spread quickly Monday on winds fueled by what was once Tropical Storm Lee.
As the fire spread, firefighters would leave one structure thinking it was safe to work on another, only to return and find the first building had burned, said Tim Simpson, a firefighter deployed to Texas from Johnsondale, California.
"We were doing everything we could," he said.
Firefighters accustomed to attacking a fire head-on could do little more than pick around the edges, trying to protect whatever they could, said Tom Boggus, director of the Texas Forest Service.
"We've been very defensive. It's all we could do until now," he said. "By the end of the day, we hope to gain a lot of ground on this."
Winds that had peaked at nearly 30 mph had calmed to little more than half that Tuesday, giving firefighters a chance to move to the fire's front and try to slow its advance, Boggus said.
Still, the damage is staggering, said officials who have toured the area.
"Bastrop County is not the same," county Judge Ronnie McDonald told CNN affiliate KXAN-TV in Austin.
The historic drought in Texas has created ideal conditions for the rapid spread of wildfire.
So far in 2011, 7.2 million acres of grass, scrub and forest have burned in wildfires nationwide. Of those, 3.5 million acres -- nearly half -- have been in Texas, according to Inciweb, a fire-tracking website maintained by state and federal agencies.
Tuesday marks the 294th consecutive day of wildfires in Texas, according to Inciweb.
More than 2,000 firefighters are working fires across the state, Boggus said.
Fatigue is a major issue, he added, especially for volunteer firefighters from local departments who form the backbone of the response. Boggus said Texas officials are seeking additional resources from around the country to help battle the fires.
CNN's Jim Spellman, Chris Welch, Melanie Whitley and Rich Phillips and journalist Jocelyn Lane contributed to this report.
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