Bastrop Texas: Major wildfire

Bastrop Texas: Two deaths in the dreadful wildfire

Bastrop Texas: Urgent need of a federal disaster declaration

Bastrop Texas: Lost Pines Forest massive damages

Bastrop Texas: wildfire under control, recovery begins

Over sixty fires have ignited  since Sunday afternoon and one of them has reached Bastrop Texas on Monday causing major damages.

The Bastrop County Complex Fire has destroyed more than 25,000 acres of  forest (two-thirds of the 6,000-acre Bastrop State Park) and has burnt almost 500 houses.

Tropical Storm Lee generating powerful winds and drought conditions (Texas has endured its worst drought since the 1950s) has made the fire to travel fast, consuming pine and cedar trees.

The Bastrop County is around 30 miles east from Austin and has around 70,000 residents. The speed of fire was very uncommon and led to evacuation of at least 5,000 persons, 400 people were taken to emergency shelters. School and school-related activities were canceled for Tuesday and the Red Cross has opened several shelters to house evacuees.

Rick Perry interrupted a campaign trip Monday afternoon and went to Bastrop Texas.

Perry, the Texas Governor, who was out of the state on Sunday, viewed the fire from the air. “This is as mean looking as I’ve ever seen, particularly because it was so close to the city.” He said.

Rick Perry said he planned to immediately request federal disaster relief for Texas fire victims. Since December, wildfires in Texas have claimed 3.5 million acres, and have destroyed more than 1,000 homes, he said.

He said it was too early to say whether he would attend Wednesday’s GOP debate in California.

Ground and air forces were mobilized to fight the large wildfire of Bastrop Texas.

Over 250 firefighters has working on the Bastrop fire, that stretches for 16 miles. Minimum 40 Texas Forest Service aircraft were involved in the firefighting Monday along with a half-dozen Texas military aircraft. Heavy air tankers, brought in from as far away as South Dakota, have been dumping tons of water on fires all day long, The Texas Forest Service said. The crews contained the main fire north of the Colorado River, but the major Bastrop Texas wildfire was still not contained.

Campfires, burning of debris, Labor Day barbecues were prohibited in all but three of the 254 counties in Texas.