TX Wildfires

The past few days have been good and bad all rolled into one mixed-up emotion. Sunday the temps dropped dramatically...I remember taking Tucker outside and thinking it was a "bit chilly," when I checked my phone for the temperature it was 78º....I didn't believe it. When Kyle woke up at 5 am, it was 60º. We were thrilled! Not only did the temps drop, the humidity vanished. Amazing, right? For our sake it was a wonderful Labor Day (even though both Kyle and I had to work). The only damper? Wind. Wind gusts from 10-30 miles an hour. Usually this isn't a big deal, but when you ad the dry state to dry air to hot temps and wind? It's a wildfires best dream.

Sunday the wildfire in Bastrop, TX started. It is east of Austin, about 1.5 away or so from Kyles and my house. Here is a map to show you were the fire is in relation to our house (where the yellow circle is).

To date, this is the most destructive fire in the state of TX. On Monday it was averaging 16 miles long and 6 miles wide. Due to how dry it is down here and the wind we had on Sunday and Monday, they had 0% of the fire contained. It was a free for all those two days and sadly, in those two days alone, around 500 homes were destroyed. As of yesterday? 800. About 5,000 residents in the area have been evacuated - most not knowing if their home is still standing or not. One of Kyle's co-workers had a home in the Bastrop area. He has not  been allowed to go back to it, and has no idea if it is standing or not...this has been since Sunday.

Sadly, that is not the only wildfire that has popped up since Sunday. In the San Antonio area alone, there have been 4 fires since Sunday. One started because there was a truck out working on a sewer line and the heat from the underside of the truck sparked the dry grass on fire. Thankfully they all have been contained with no homes destroyed, but firefighters are still on a 24/7 watch on some "hot spot" areas that flames could still errupt. Hundreds of acres have been burnt, but no casualties. That is not true for the rest of the state though.

An arial shot of a row of homes burnt to the ground in Bastrop, TX

In Central Texas alone, nearly 1,400 homes have been destroyed. Out of all the fires blazing, they are only about 30% contained, which is not very much. There have been 45 square miles blackened out by the Bastrop fire alone.

This is not a very upbeat blog, but I wanted to share with you the reality of these fires. I'm sure you may have heard about them, but it is serious and not close to being over. Thankfully, Kyle and I are safe and so far no threat to us or our home. Pray for rain. Pray for the people that have had their lives turned upside down in the last couple days. And then one more time? Pray for rain. :)