Ezekiel Rodriguez and his family packed their suitcases Friday when smoke from wildfires darkened the skies around Strawn.
But no order came for an evacuation of the 700 or so residents of the Palo Pinto County community about 80 miles west of Fort Worth."This morning we drove to church in Mineral Wells and it looked OK," Rodriguez said Sunday. "On our way back, smoke was so thick that they shut down Highway 16."Hours later, authorities ordered the evacuation of Strawn and Caddo in Stephens County."The fire marshal came by the house and told us to get out," Rodriguez said in a telephone interview as he and his family waited at First Baptist Church in nearby Gordon.Authorities say the wildfires threatened Strawn on Sunday afternoon, but south winds pushed the blazes north of the town, saving it from disaster -- for now.But the rest of the county and Texas weren't as fortunate.Aided by strong winds and low humidity, wildfires continued to burn Sunday from Austin to North Texas and from San Angelo to East Texas.A massive grass fire near Possum Kingdom Lake continued with very little containment, officials said. Fires had burned 55,000 acres, a church and more than 30 structures near the reservoir. An estimated 90 cattle have been killed."The situation is not good," said Steve Deffenbaugh, a spokesman for the Texas Forest Service who is working the Possum Kingdom fires. "The winds have been a problem."Forest Service spokeswoman Victoria Koenig said Sunday night that the toll of 31 homes destroyed by the Palo Pinto fires as of Saturday evening may climb by more than 20.On Monday, Palo Pinto County Judge David Nicklas asked for additional heavy equipment from Parker County including two water trucks, two track loaders and two graders in hopes of slowing or stopping the fire, Parker County spokesman Joel Kertok said in a press release.Since Friday, Parker County’s mobile command unit and Wildlands Strike Team have been on scene at the Possum Kingdom fires.Parker County’s fire marshal Shawn Scott said this is the worst fire he has ever seen."Our Strike Team has already saved a dozen structures," he said.Parker County Judge Mark Riley issued a local disaster declaration Monday because of the ongoing threat from wildfires burning in neighboring Palo Pinto County.Meanwhile, in Austin, a homeless man was charged late Sunday with reckless endangerment for building a campfire that destroyed at least eight homes in Austin and forced hundreds to evacuate. The fire was mostly contained at 100 acres after two large transport planes dropped fire retardant on the blaze.Two small West Texas towns appeared to survive a nearby wildfire for another day as reinforced firefighting teams managed to keep the blaze that threatened Robert Lee and Bronte at bay. The two Coke County towns are about 12 miles apart and about 30 miles north of San Angelo. Authorities briefly evacuated Bronte on Sunday afternoon.The Texas fires have been blamed for at least one death. Eastland volunteer firefighter Gregory M. Simmons, 50, died while working a 3,000-acre blaze Friday. Simmons suffered blunt-force trauma when he was hit by a vehicle, according to a preliminary autopsy report by the Tarrant County medical examiner's office. The Texas Department of Public Safety is investigating.A DPS report indicates that as Simmons was trying to escape from the fire he ran into or near a smoke-obscured road and was hit by an unknown vehicle.Another volunteer firefighter, Elias Jaquez of Cactus, was in critical condition Sunday at a Lubbock hospital after suffering third-degree burns over 60 percent of his body while fighting wildfires in Moore County in the Panhandle.Gov. Rick Perry has appealed to President Barack Obama to declare the state a major disaster area as wildfires strike or threaten all but two of the state's 254 counties. A statement issued Sunday by Perry requested the aid in a letter dispatched Saturday afternoon.More than 7,800 fires across the states have charred more than 1.5 million acres -- about 2,400 square miles -- while burning 244 homes and threatening more than 8,500 others since the start of wildfire season in November, according to the news release from Perry's office.A "major disaster declaration" would make the state eligible for help in responding to and recovering from the emergency.As of Friday, the Texas Forest Service had responded to 715 blazes that scorched 860,211 acres, destroying 258 structures this year.The total did not include the fires and burned structures over the weekend.The numbers are nearing the grim statistics from 2006, the worst fire year the state has had. That year, 2,572 fires burned 1.5 million acres and destroyed 236 structures, according to Forest Service figures.Critical fire conditions are expected to continue throughout the week, with strong winds and temperatures rising to near 90 degrees in North Texas.But forecasters say there's a 20 percent chance of rain in the region on Tuesday and a slight chance of rain every day through Saturday.David Haney hasn't seen anything like the current conditions in the half-century he has lived in Strawn."It's been dry before, but these winds just keep coming," said Haney, 53, a volunteer firefighter who was at the Strawn fire station Sunday.Strawn lifted its evacuation order Sunday night."We've seen smoke for the last eight days," Rodriguez said. "I guess we'll just keep our suitcases ready."Staff Writer Elizabeth Campbell contributed to this report, which includes material from The Associated PressDomingo Ramirez Jr.,817-390-7763
Tuesday's North Texas forecast calls for mid-90s, strong winds
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