Wildfires in N. TX and OK

[jinman]

So Kathy and I were about halfway between Huntsville and Waco Texas yesterday afternoon when her cellphone started ringing. "SUNSET IS BURNING!" came the exclamation on the other end of the connection. "IT'S ALL OVER THE NEWS!" the caller shouted. "ARE YOU OKAY?"

Maybe some background info is needed. We decided we were tired of hot, dry, and windy, so we packed our bags and headed to East Texas for a couple of days. The dogwoods are already gone, but we just wanted to see some green grass and trees. A simple therapeutic trip was what we wanted. That was all fine until the frantic call from our neighbor got us worried. The neighbor, it turns out, was in Wisconsin. She had been visiting relatives and was waiting on a flight back to Dallas. The TV in the terminal had the news on and she was shocked to hear that her hometown in Texas was burning. That's why we got the call.

A few more cellphone calls let us know that the fire was about a mile northwest of our house and going away from us. Unfortunately, that's the middle of the little town of Sunset. It appears that Sunset has AGAIN been devastated by fire; a history that goes back to the depression when the town "burned down." Not only Sunset, but the little towns of Stoneburg and Boonesville. Our Oklahoma neighbors to the north also have borne the brunt of these firestorms. Here is a link to one of the local TV stations (WFAA, Channel 8) and an attached photo from their news chopper. It's going to be a mess around here for awhile and our neighbors in Sunset are gonna need a lot of help. It was a poor town that has only been made poorer by this event.

WFAA Top Stories

 

[Unclebuck257]

jinman,

The fires were definitely terrible, but when I heard Sunset was burning, the first two I thought/worried about were you and Kathy. Glad to hear you're alright. The damages were very extensive and they covered 8 counties total, although Montague was the worst I believe. Hopefully, we'll get that rain Sat night and Sunday too. Those severe winds yesterday blew up a bunch of my shingles so I'll be on my roof this afternoon for several hours, repairing and replacing before that rain gets here.

Jim

 

[weldingisfun]

I smelled the smoke when I went outside this morning.

 

[RedRocker]

Well, I'm in my Jeep in the middle of Moab Utah yesterday when my kid calls and says Montague county is on fire. I was thinking about you Jim when I found out it was closer to Sunset. Glad you guys dodged a bullet, hopefully some idiot won't throw a cigarette out on 287 and start something else. I should be through there tomorrow or early Sunday.

 

[EddieWalker]

Jim,

Steph and I were both worried about you and Kathy and the fires. Thanks for posting and letting us know you guys are fine and are not affected. I think having your home burn down is just one step under losing a loved one. It's never happened to me, but it is way up there on my list of things that I fear.

Eddie

 

[The Dougster]

I smelled the smoke very early this morning... I live near Liberty Hill, which is NW of Austin.... later, while in Austin, the smoke smell was quite strong and we heard on the radio that there was a large grass fire somewhere on Fort Hood that was the cause of the smoke.... as some means of putting this in perspective, Ft. Hood is roughly 50-miles North of Austin. Needless to say, the winds have been fierce... <sigh>

 

[jayste]

Yes, the fires have been bad here as well. South central and central Oklahoma had several yesterday and some are still burning today. Yesterday the humidity dropped here to less than 20% and the winds cranked up as they did there. The news this morning was reporting as many as 100 structures (about 70 homes) in Midwest City (a part of OKC) alone were lost.

 

[DIRTROAD]

I spent the month of January 2005 fighting fires in Texas last time it heated up. I hope they get some rain before long or I'll have to make the trip again. It seems like it takes turns one year it will be Texas/OK and the next year FL/GA.

 

[froggy]

Jim,

Glad to hear your place was ok. The smoke was really something. Heard there was some fire near Munester today.

Doyle

 

[Kfbeal]

Is any of this rain helping today? Or is the wind making it worse up there? We haven't gotten the rain yet, but the wind started early this morning.