Central Texas on Fire 2011

[MuffyBee]

http://weareaustin.com/fulltext/?nxd_id=179247
Bastrop County fire 85 percent contained
September 17, 2011

Almost two weeks after a massive wildfire scorched more than 34,000 acres, it is now 85 percent contained.

Bastrop County Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Fisher said Friday there have been fewer flair ups due to good weather. The winds have died down and the humidity is up. He also said out of state firefighters will begin to leave the area.
 ::snipping2::

[MuffyBee]

    A bit of rain!  Only scattered showers, but the humidity will help with the flare ups. It's still very dangerous right now in Central Texas due to the extreme drought.

http://www.statesman.com/news/local/damp-weather-some-help-in-corralling-bastrop-fire-1864425.html
Damp weather some help in corralling Bastrop fire
September 18, 2011
BASTROP COUNTY — And on the 14th day, there was rain.

For two weeks, wildfires have blackened more than 34,000 acres in Bastrop County, but the clouds finally broke Saturday.

Except that Mike Fisher, the county's emergency management coordinator, wasn't sure how much it would help.

"It's certainly not going to hurt," Fisher said. "But we're not getting any really meaningful rain out in the fire zone. It's just sprinkles here and there."

The cloud cover kept the county cooler Saturday, and a higher relative humidity tempered flare-ups that have plagued firefighters in recent days, he said.

After burning for two weeks, the fire was 85 percent contained as of Saturday. Fisher said it is likely to be another week before it's contained completely.

The fire has destroyed more than 1,600 homes, officials estimate, and claimed the lives of two people: Vickie Keenan and Troy Farr.
 ::snipping2::
As of Saturday, 2,504 residents from the 11 Texas counties that are eligible to apply for individual assistance have registered with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, spokesman Ray Perez said.

Bastrop County residents make up most of those applicants, with 2,259. Of those, 362 applications have been denied, Perez said.

Any of those applicants may just need more documentation, or to verify some information, he said.

Since President Barack Obama issued the disaster declaration for the county on Sept. 9, $2,998,658 has been approved for housing assistance and $255,227 for other expenses, such as medical bills.

Perez said 91 people from Bastrop County have checked into hotels.

Tahitian Village is among some of the last areas that will have electricity restored by Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative, which reported Saturday morning that 1,899 were still without power.

The nonprofit utility estimates that power will be completely restored by Sept. 28.

On Friday, U.S. Sens. John Cornyn, who toured fire ravaged areas Saturday, and Kay Bailey Hutchison sent a letter to Obama asking that he expand the disaster declaration so that counties could receive additional support removing debris.

County officials have said that the cost of removing debris from county roads will total more than seven times its annual roads and bridges budget.
 ::snipping2::

[MuffyBee]

http://weareaustin.com/fulltext/?nxd_id=179247
Bastrop County fire 95 percent contained
September 18, 2011

Almost two weeks after a massive wildfire scorched more than 34,000 acres, it is now 95 percent contained.

Bastrop County Emergency Management Coordinator Mike Fisher said Friday there have been fewer flair ups due to good weather. The winds have died down and the humidity is up.  ::snipping2::

[MuffyBee]

http://www.statesman.com/news/local/bastrop-fires-apparent-cause-trees-hitting-power-lines-1869910.html
Bastrop fire's apparent cause: trees hitting power lines
Forest Service report says two sites show evidence of lines sending sparks into tinder below.
September 21, 2011

Trees that came crashing into overhead power lines earlier this month probably caused the fire that has devoured more than 34,000 acres and 1,600 homes in Bastrop County, according to an investigation released by the Texas Forest Service on Tuesday.

Wind gusts reaching more than 30 mph on Sept. 4 apparently severed trees at two locations that tumbled into the electrical lines, causing sparks that fell into the dry grass and tree litter below.
At 258 Charolais Drive, in the Circle D subdivision northeast of Bastrop, gusts snapped a dead pine tree about 8 feet above the ground, according to the report. The broken trunk fell into the power lines, causing sparks to fall on the tinder below and pulling the lines away from the electrical transformer.

Gusts also caused the top portion of a tree a few miles to the north at 159 Schwantz Ranch Road to break, allowing the branches to tangle in the power lines, which also caused sparks to fall.

Downed power lines are also being investigated as the causes behind several destructive fires in Travis County around the same time, officials said Tuesday.

In Bastrop County, Rebecca Rivas, who lives at the fire's origin site on Charolais Drive, called 911 after seeing smoke near the far west corner of her property, according to the report. Flames appeared soon afterward. The home she shares with her husband was "completely destroyed," the report said.

Rune Harboe, who lived southeast of the fire's Schwantz Ranch Road origin, has said that a dead tree on the north side of the road fell across power lines and started the fire, according to the report.

William Grimes , who also lives near the second point of origin, similarly saw that part of a tree had fallen into nearby power lines, according to the report.
 ::snipping2::
The fire was 95 percent contained as of Tuesday, Forest Service spokeswoman April Saginor said.

A second, smaller blaze that started west of Bastrop on Sept. 5 is still under investigation, Saginor said. But electricity could be the culprit in other fires around Central Texas.

The Travis County fire marshal's office reported Tuesday that electricity is being investigated as the possible cause of fires in Steiner Ranch and Spicewood. Lt. Josh Portie , a brush fire specialist with the Austin Fire Department, said that on windy days, it is "extremely common" for power lines to be a cause of wildfires.

Fire Marshal Hershel Lee said the Steiner Ranch fire began in an undeveloped residential lot before spreading to the occupied part of the subdivision. Investigators found damage on the overhead electrical wires directly above the point of origin, Lee said. His office is awaiting lab analysis by electrical engineers and other experts to determine whether the lines ignited the fire.

Lee said that in Spicewood, investigators found damage to power lines and electrical equipment near the area where the fire started.

Pflugerville Fire Department Assistant Chief Tom Crane said that power lines also caused the fire there Sept. 4 that burned between 300 and 500 acres.
 ::snipping2::
Photos at Link

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/local/hill_country/origin-of-spicewood-fire-located
Origin of Spicewood fire located
Cause of 6,400-acre blaze not yet determined
September 21, 2011

SPICEWOOD, Texas (KXAN) - Pedernales Fire Chief Ken Van Rens said the fire in Spicewood that charred 6,400 acres started around a small home off Haynie Flat Road.

The fire that started over the Labor Day weekend claimed 45 homes were lost and threatened 131 others.
 ::snipping2::
Van Rens said the homeowner on Haynie Flat Road is not responsible for the fire.

Welding, which was rumored to start the fire, has also been ruled out.

Fire crews also have ruled out that someone starting the fire by tossing a cigarette.

Van Rens said the department is investigating a cause they believe will did start the fire.  He could not yet disclose information regarding that investigation.
 ::snipping2::

[MuffyBee]

http://austin.ynn.com/content/top_stories/280547/report--downed-power-lines-likely-sparked-bastrop-fire
Report: Downed power lines likely sparked Bastrop fire
September 21, 2011

Downed power lines were most likely responsible for the Bastrop County wildfire that burned 34,000 acres Labor Day weekend, according to a report released by the Texas Forest Service Tuesday.

The report says two smaller fires merged to create the Bastrop County Complex fire on Sept. 4.

The first fire started on Charlois Drive when a tree fell onto power lines and caused sparks to fall on the dry brush below.

Statements from nearby homeowners said they lost power around 2 p.m., and shortly after, they saw a fire near the back of their property.

The second fire started when high winds broke the top off a tree along Schwartz Ranch Road and limbs from that tree became tangled in power lines. Those sparks also ignited exceptionally dry grass or brush, and the strong wind caused the fires to spread quickly.

Within a few hours of the final report being released, Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative's CEO issued a statement dissenting with portions of it.

"At the Schwartz Ranch Road location," Mark Rose said, "a professional survey of the area by our investigators places one tree well outside our right-of-way. The other tree that may have contacted our lines was apparently moved by a bulldozer during firefighting efforts."

Rose went on to say the tree's location prior to the fire is undetermined, and that several factors, from welders to cigarettes, may have also been factors.

The only cause the agency determined it could be was power lines callers confirmed were on the ground where the fire started.

The blaze destroyed 1,500 homes. The Texas Forest Service has not issued any citations at this point.
More...
Bluebonnet Electric’s statement on Texas Forest Service report at bottom of article
 
Video at Link

Link to read  the full report on  the Bastrop Fire: http://content.news8austin.com/auscontent/Bastropfirereport.pdf

[MuffyBee]

It will be interesting to see this play out.  Bluebonnet Electric and Austin Energy are denying their lines caused the fires, and they're saying it's trees that caused the fires, but they are also responsible to keep the lines cleared from trees and brush.  If the trees fall over onto the lines, then that's different.  It looks like either way, it's going to be a field day for attorneys on both sides, (plus the insurance companies!!) and at the end of the day, it will be the taxpayers and users of electric services that will be footing the bill.  There was a power line down about a mile and a half from my house on the 5th of September.  Thank goodness there were no fires or injuries.  Why was the power line down?  We were told it was high winds.  Who's at fault? 
http://austin.ynn.com/content/top_stories/280547/report--downed-power-lines-likely-sparked-bastrop-fire
 ::snipping2::
The preliminary cause of the Steiner Ranch Fire was also determined to be arcing power lines, but Austin Energy also disputes that. Like Bluebonnet, the power company has a team of its own investigators looking into a cause. ::snipping2::
 See Bluebonnet Electric’s statement on Texas Forest Service report in the above link.

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/local/austin-energy-could-face-fire-lawsuits
Austin Energy could face fire lawsuits
Utility seeking money to hire outside lawyers
September 22, 2011

AUSTIN (KXAN) - As the cleanup from the wildfire of Labor Day weekend continues at Steiner Ranch, officials from Austin Energy will ask Austin City Council on Thursday to let them spend $150,000 to pay an outside law firm for help, should the utility be sued.

While the Travis County Fire Marshal waits on laboratory test results before releasing a final cause for the fire, he said the preliminary investigation points to overhead power lines.

“Some times power lines in high wind will bump together,” said the Travis County Fire Marshal Hershel Lee.

Many of the lines in Steiner Ranch are property of Austin’s municipally owned power company, Austin Energy.

“Those power lines appear to have some thermal damage and some damage from arching,” Lee said.

The Fire Marshal’s office is not the only one investigating the cause of the fire.

Austin Energy said the law firm officials want to hire has expertise in fire investigations and will help them with their own investigation.
More...

[MuffyBee]

Yeeeeeee-haaaaaaaaaaah!!!!!  

http://austin.ynn.com/content/top_stories/280562/texas-music-legends-to-come-together-for-fire-relief
Texas music legends to come together for fire relief
September 21, 2011

 ::snipping2::

Willie Nelson, the Dixie Chicks, Lyle Lovett and Asleep at the Wheel will headline "Fire Relief: The Concert for Central Texas" which will take place at the Frank Erwin Center on Oct. 17.

Kyle Chandler and Turk Pipkin will host the event which includes special guests Eric Johnson, Steve Miller, Shawn Colvin and the Courtyard Hounds, Joe Satriani and the Texas Tornados.

All proceeds from the concert will go to the Central Texas Wildfire Fund at the Austin Community Foundation.
 ::snipping2::
Tickets will be available through TexasBoxOffice.com.
Video at Link

[MuffyBee]

It's still extremely dry in Central Texas.  We had a bit of rain, but it was a drop in the bucket.  There are fires here and there in the area, and so far they've been able to keep get them under control.  It just doesn't seem like it would take much at all for fire to break out any where any time.  I continue to keep my car's tank full of gas, a back pack with important papers, meds and etc. and of course, all the dogs leashes, harnesses, travel cages for the birds, box for the tortoises and etc. all lined up just in case.  My husband and I cleared our land of cedar when we moved in and have we've taken steps to try to help make our home and property safer in the event of fire.  But I've realized what will be will be, but I hope we get through this time unscathed. 

http://www.statesman.com/news/texas/152-million-in-ag-losses-to-texas-wildfires-1884543.html
$152 million in ag losses to Texas wildfires
September 28, 2011

COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Enough fencing to cross Texas from east to west nearly seven times, more than 1,500 head of livestock and swaths of pasture nearly twice the area of Delaware have burned in Texas wildfires this year.

As if the state's crippling drought hadn't banged up Texas agriculture enough, experts with Texas AgriLife Extension Service said Wednesday the wildfires continue to burn through the dried remains on a daily basis.

David Anderson, an economist with the service, estimated Texas agriculture lost $152.1 million through Sept. 19. The bulk of that total comes from the 5,965 miles of fences and other infrastructure that burned. Second are the nearly three million acres of scorched pasture.

That all comes on top of the estimated $5.2 billion lost to crops and livestock from the drought in Texas. It has been the worst single-year drought on record and more than four-fifths of Texas is in exceptional drought.

Since wildfire season started on Nov. 15, 2010, officials say firefighters have responded to 23,519 fires. And there doesn't appear to be an end in sight.
 ::snipping2::

[MuffyBee]

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/article/Fire-burns-some-of-set-for-2003-film-The-Alamo-2192827.php
Fire burns some of set for 2003 film 'The Alamo'
Blaze charred at least 150 acres near Austin.
September 28, 2011


Matt Brake, a fire fighter from Lake Travis Rescue puts out hotspots at the scene of a 200 acre wild fire north of Dripping Springs, that burned part of the movie set of the 2004 remake of the Alamo movie. Wednesday, September 28, 2011. Photo Bob Owen/rowen@express-news.net
Photo: San Antonio Express-News, Bob Owen / rowen@express-news.net

DRIPPING SPRINGS — An assistant fire chief in Texas says a wildfire has destroyed part of the set for the 2003 film "The Alamo" and charred at least 150 acres near Austin.

Lake Travis Assistant Fire Chief John Durham says the fire broke out about 6:30 p.m. He says lightning is believed to have struck the film set near Hamilton Pool Park, about 24 miles west of downtown Austin.
 ::snipping2::

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/local/dozens-adopting-pets-rescued-in-fire
Dozens adopting pets rescued in fire
Bastrop Animal Shelter waiving adoption fees
October 3, 2011



Pretty Girl, a Beagle, remains to be adopted. She was unable to reunite with her pet parents follow last month's fire.  (Jacqueline Ingles/KXAN)

BASTROP, Texas (KXAN) - Bastrop Animal Shelter Director Troy Walters is so busy finding dogs and cats homes that were rescued in the Bastrop fire homes, he has no time to talk.

"We are swamped," explained Walters.

On Monday morning, 60 animals that were unable to reconnect with their original owners following the fire went up for adoption.  Adoption fees have been waived and dozens of people came out looking to add a furry family member.

Walters said all rescued animals were checked for micro-chips and a website featuring photographs of the animals was created .  He also reached out to media, both television and print, to try and reunite pets with their owners.

"We had a lot of these animals come in with collars but no identification tags," Walters explained.

If the animals are not adopted, they will be transferred to other shelters to be showcased.  If they fail to find a home then, they could be euthanized.

Walters, however, told KXAN he is doing everything he can to find homes and has even micro-chipped the animals and all the remaining cats have been spayed/neutered.
 ::snipping2::

http://www.petango.com/bastropanimalshelter
View available pets.   

[MuffyBee]

 It looks like the two C-130's and the DC-10 came in  and saved the day.  There were  1,000 acres and no homes lost in this latest fire.  It could have been so much worse.  I sure wish the firefighting aircraft had been available for the Bastrop Complex Fire, the Delhi Fire and the Pedernales fire.  Small fires continue to crop up in Central Texas.   
Last night was National Night Out in my neighborhood and the subject was fire and what we could do to help protect ourselves and our property.

http://www.statesman.com/news/local/bastrop-county-faces-another-wildfire-1896151.html
Bastrop County faces another wildfire
Fire was 25 percent contained Tuesday night due to air resources, firefighting efforts, officials say.
October 5, 2011



BASTROP COUNTY — Still reeling from last month's devastating fire, residents in Bastrop County were once again forced to evacuate because of a 1,000-acre wildfire that firefighters were battling Tuesday night.

But emergency officials were quick to point out that this fire was different from the devastating Bastrop Complex fire in September. The presence of firefighting aircraft that weren't available last time meant quick progress was made against the blaze. It was 25 percent contained by 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, officials said.

As of Tuesday night, no homes had been lost, said John Nichols, a spokesman with the Texas Forest Service. Fifty houses had been evacuated, but officials did not think they were in danger, he said.

"The fire is well away from those houses," Nichols said.

The fire started for unknown reasons about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Griffith League Scout Ranch near Oak Hill Cemetery Road off FM 2336, said Bastrop County sheriff's office spokeswoman Sissy Jones.

Two hours later, the fire had grown to 100 acres; that would increase tenfold by nightfall.
 ::snipping2::
Though the fire progressed rapidly, Nichols said that aircraft, including a DC-10, two C-130s and others, helped put a quick dent in the blaze.

When the September wildfires broke out in Bastrop County, aircraft were occupied fighting other fires and weren't able to intervene early on, Nichols said.

"The air resources did a great job," Nichols said. "They were from Austin, and they weren't committed to anything else."

Bastrop County Judge Ronnie McDonald , who was at the scene near the blaze, made it clear that this fire was different from the big one last month.

"We'll be fighting this, rather than just evacuating people," McDonald said. "We're better prepared, and the wind conditions are down."
 ::snipping2::

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/local/bastrop/state-aid-helps-replace-charred-fences
State aid helps replace charred fences
Bastrop hardest hit by wildfires
January 11, 2012

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/local/bastrop/more-tree-saplings-headed-to-bastrop
More tree saplings headed to Bastrop
Reforestation efforts continue after fire
January 12, 2012

AUSTIN (KXAN) - After losing 1.5 million trees in the wildfires, Bastrop is slowly replanting, little by little.

Thursday in East Austin, the group TreeFolks loaded 350 saplings onto a truck to be taken to Bastrop on Friday.

"I've walked out there. It's like a moonscape, it's tragic," said April Rose, a forester with TreeFolks. "It's also Mother Nature. So what can we do as stewards of the urban forest."

TreeFolks and some 40 other organizations will hold a workshop in Bastrop on Friday to provide aid and information to residents who suffered losses in the fires. The saplings will be distributed on a first-come, first-serve basis.

TreeFolks is working with the Lost Pines Recovery Team to provide trees to the community. More than 1,300 trees have been delivered since November.
More...

[MuffyBee]

http://www.statesman.com/news/local/amid-ashes-in-bastrop-county-hundreds-must-decide-2215325.html
Six months after historic Labor Day fires, signs of renewal rise from destruction
By Dave Harmon/AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
March 4, 2012

[MuffyBee]

http://www.statesman.com/news/local/unstoppable-anatomy-of-texas-most-destructive-wildfire-2215282.html
Unstoppable: anatomy of Texas' most destructive wildfire
As the fire grew, firefighters and deputies made a crucial decision to evacuate neighborhoods
By Dave Harmon/AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
March 3, 2012

 ::snipping2::
The most destructive fire in Texas history capped a series of historical worsts. It happened during the state's worst fire season: Nearly 4 million acres and more than 3,000 homes burned during the season, which ended Oct. 31. It wasthe state's driest year on record, at the end of the hottest summer that any state had ever seen.

But the fire is also notable for the history that wasn't made. The death toll — two people — could have been exponentially higher, Ridenour said, if not for a series of quick decisions that led to the rapid evacuation of roughly 5,000 people.
 ::snipping2::

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/local/bastrop/resources-were-no-match-for-bastrop-fire
Officials: Fires overwhelmed resources
Winds, dry weather made Bastrop a tinderbox
David Scott
Posted April 19, 2012, Updated April 23, 2012

BASTROP, Texas (KXAN) - Emergency officials could have tripled the manpower devoted to battling the late summer wildfires in Bastrop and it still would not been enough to stem the devastation, a legislative panel was told Thursday.

"There's not enough resources in Texas to prevent something like this happening," Nim Kidd, chief of emergency management for the Texas Department of Public Safety said in testimony before the state House Agriculture Committee. "It was a perfect storm: historic drought conditions, a spark in the right place, high winds on the right day. This was a force of nature."
Kidd was joined by representatives from the Texas Forest Service and the Texas National Guard at the hearing that took place in Bastrop just seven months after the city and county were decimated by the worst fire in state history and third worst ever in the nation.

Even though only two people died from the fires that began swirling over Labor Day weekend and continued for several days, the property losses were stagging, the committee was told.

    More than 34,000 acres of pine forest and ranch land scorched.
    An estimated 1,670 homes destroyed.
    And 5,000-plus people uprooted from their homes.

Tom Boggus, director of the Texas Forest Service, said the wonder is that the figures were not far higher as winds of up to 50 mph whipped the fire from pasture to paster, tree to tree and home to home.
More..
Links in the article:
http://interactives.kxan.com/photomojo/gallery/974/1/texas-is-burning/bastrop-smoke-fills-the-citys-horizon/
2011: The Year in Review
Texas is Burning
Fires Rage in Central Texas

[MuffyBee]

http://www.statesman.com/news/local/report-september-2011-spicewood-wildfire-likely-sparked-by-2446006.html
Report: September 2011 Spicewood wildfire likely sparked by power lines
August 29, 2012

Arcing electrical lines probably sparked the 6,500-acre blaze that consumed more than 60 structures in September in western Travis and eastern Burnet counties, a report released Wednesday by the Travis County fire marshal's office concluded.

Investigators ruled that the 2011 Pedernales wildfire — also known as the Spicewood Fire — was accidental, based on an analysis of burn patterns, interviews with witnesses and numerous site visits to identify the probable source of ignition, the 22-page report said.

Witnesses first reported flames just after 2 p.m. on Sept. 4 in a remote area about 1,000 feet from the 26200 block of Haynie Flat Road in Travis County.

The Spicewood fire was one of several large wildland blazes to erupt that day in Central Texas. It burned for 11 days before the Pedernales Fire Department chief reported it extinguished at 2:40 p.m. on Sept. 15.
 ::snipping2::
The Bastrop Complex Fire, which also began Sept. 4, was started by electrical lines in two places. That fire, along with the smaller Union Chapel Fire, destroyed 33,000 acres and 1,700 homes.

"There are some things that are very difficult to control, in this case, the weather," Lee said. "But people need to be prepared. Check smoke detectors, have defensible space around your home. ... Take care of the things you know you can."

[MuffyBee]

 

http://www.kvue.com/news/Bastrop-woman-sentenced-after-filling-false-FEMA-claim-217031551.html
Bastrop woman sentenced after filing false FEMA claim
July 25, 2013

BASTROP, Texas -- A Bastrop woman has been sentenced after falsely claiming FEMA money awarded to  victims of the Bastrop fires in 2011.

A federal judge sentenced Ginger Roe to 100 hours of community service for making the false claim in September of 2011.

She’ll also have to pay FEMA $30,200 in restitution.

The terms of her sentence were worked out in a plea deal with federal prosecutors.
 

[MuffyBee]

Two years later.

http://www.kvue.com/news/Bastrop-commemorates-wildfire-two-year-anniversary-222013581.html
Bastrop commemorates wildfire 2-year anniversary
September 1, 2013

BASTROP, Texas -- This Labor Day weekend marks two years since massive wildfires ravaged Bastrop County.
The Bastrop Long-Term Recovery Team hosted a picnic on Sunday to remember the Labor Day holiday weekend two years ago when the fires broke out on Sept. 4, 2011.
The organization is a non-profit that works with people who have had trouble rebuilding their homes, some of whom were uninsured.
Ed Hoffman and his son both lost their homes in the fire.
"I'm living on my land," Hoffman said. "My friend bought a saw mill, brought it over, and we chopped some trees down and made lumper out of it. I'm living in an 18x20 shed. I'm waiting to get a house built by the General Land Commission Grant."
He is hoping they will start building in two weeks.
The fire killed two and destroyed nearly 1,700 homes -- more than any other fire in Texas history.