How are you folks holding up in Texas???

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/44395316/ns/weather/


This is sad...

 

Good luck to all in the path of the fires, something we are very familiar with down here!!
Stay safe, it is better to evacuate with a handful of possessions than die with all your belongings. When they say go, GO!

Doc.

 

Ditto!!

 

It's scary allright. We're ok here, so far just small contained fires but I've got several friends that have had to evacuate, some more than once.

Keeping an eye on the fires and staying ready to run if need be.

Was going to do some Aluminum casting today, probably not a good plan with a coal fired kiln.

 

I was out at the farm and you could see this stretching back to the horizon. Looks like clouds, but it's smoke from a fire 100 miles away. You can smell it in the air.

The temperatures have dropped 20 degrees in two days, so it's easier on the firefighters but we still haven't had any rain all summer. We average around 24" a year and have had 11" since last September. There have been 97 days of over 100 degrees this summer. It's the hottest and driest year in recorded history for our area. Worse than the Dust Bowl years.

Things are a tinderbox, just waiting to burn. The only thing that will help in the long run is rain and moisture and I don't think there is anything in the forecast for us in the next week.
Larry T

 

I farm and ranch for a living, so it's really serious for me. I've already sold off all but my "core" herd and it's looking like I'll have to cut even more. For sure, I won't have any income for the next year....but still had all the expense. Anyone want to hire an old cowboy?

 

It's crazy for sure. Winds are expected to pick up and this place is dry as a bone.

Bastrop is blazing uncontrolled right now...

 

Need moisture BADLY ! wind has been blowing 25 with the tSorm in Louisiana. record heat in August with heat records set every day. 30 out of 31 days over 100 in Houston. and We are on the Gulf !
No rain,,,No pastures or hay......cows being liquidated because there is no food.

 

Man I hope everything works out forr the best for yall in central texas. My father in law lives in spicewood TX...west of austin..fires are getting close to him also.

 

Christ on a bike! You guys try and keep safe.
Paul

 

We had a fire just miles away from our place on Friday, with smoke billowing overhead............... scary as hell, but the Wimberley fire department got all over it.
The largest is in Bastrop to the east. High winds all day today.............may be in for another rough day.

 

It SUCKS! here in central Tx (in between West and Waco) we got a break in the heat at least. But yesterday 25 acres burned about 1.5 miles from where we live. They had the helecopters and all out on it. You could see the blaze from my house.. Scary stuff. Makes you really think twice about doing any grinding or welding outdoors... even indoors!

 

Hope all my Texas friends are safe..

 

Sucks alright, there is constantly grass fires around the area, but so far all have been contained. We live in the middle of the most flammable stuff in nature, cedar trees. Not to mention most are dead from no water, which is even worse.

Just got through telling the wife we need to make up some bug out bags, one each and one for the dogs, so we can get out in a hurry if need be. A fire is much faster than most people realize.

 

Drove through bastrop earlier, had to take a detour.

 

Man that sucks!

 

Helllp

 

Just drove from Taylor through Hutto, small grass fire had just started on the side of 79, police were there and fire trucks on the way.

Looked off to the south and could see a huge wall of smoke which is the Bastrop fire, about 20 miles away, 14,000 acres burned, over 300 homes lost and 5000 people evacuated. Radio just reported that situation in Bastrop is going to get worse before it gets better, 4 independent fires have now combined into one huge fire, going on 24 hours now and 0% contained, which I guess means 100% out of control.

Looked the direction I was headed, west, and another huge cloud of smoke which is the Steiner Ranch, Austin, fire, 25+ homes lost.

You can hear about it on the news, but it's surreal when you can see it on the horizon. Can't imagine what the people that live there are going through and the firefighters.

 

A fire just started south of me......a few miles

 

Dam this sucks, I hope you all get thru this alright

 

I remember driving 50 miles to San Angelo and paying $50 for a 50 Ford. Drove it home too

 

Thoughts are with you. Went through this when is was out in Oz a few years ago. Apparently some of the serious fire fires were started by an ex fireman and a few dumb kids. Just hope you don't get any idiots out there when things are all ready tough. Be safe folks!!!

 

wild fire coming my way as I type this...only about three miles norh of me here in rural East Texas,,I'm 5 miles nw of Jefferson,,
Hwy partol has road blocked from going north..says they will notify me of when to evacuate...Fingers crossed.

 

Fire off 281 Just north of San Antonio as well. It's hot and dry as all get out.

 

Kind of hard to keep up with them all.



"Wildfire Update – Sept. 5, 2011

Current situation:

· Texas Forest Service responded yesterday to 63 new fires that burned 32,936 acres, including 22 new large fires."



http://txforestservice.tamu.edu/main/article.aspx?id=12888




.

 

Wife and I were talking about the same thing today.

We can see the smoke in Bastrop from our backyard.

 

I just talked to my wife and there is a fire in the area between spring and conroe. It's actually in the Tamina area. They are evacuating people. It's about a mile north of me and going north. I'm in N. carolina and thats scary. Also magnolia has a big fire poped up.

 

Praying for safety of people in that area..


Sent from my iPhone using TJJ

 

A freind outside of Bastrop evacuated last evening--he snuck back in after dark--got out a pickup full and one motorcycle--as of two hours ago he still doesn't know if his house is standing--it burnt there a few years ago and he made it safe--he doesn't think so this time

 

I,m in Lamar co, we have a few going on here