Texas Wildfires 2011: Season Among Worst In State History (VIDEO)

Out of control wildfires continue to wreak havoc on West Texas, an area still recovering from a series of wildfires in recent months.

It's been one of the worst wildfire seasons in state history. Why? Unusually dry weather, combined with an uncommonly cold winter, experts say.

Some 650 blazes have hit 400 square miles particularly hard. "We're pretty vulnerable right now," state climatologist John Nielsen-Gammon told Christian Science Monitor. "We need rain."

The most recent activity this weekend devastated Jeff Davis County. The Austin Statesman reported that the town of Fort Davis (population about 1,000) was ravaged by a "giant black lava flow" and 50 homes were destroyed. Firefighters continued to battle the Fort Davis blaze on Monday.

"It was unbelievable, just horrific," Bob Dillard of Jeff Davis County told the Associated Press.
"There were horses on fire, buildings on fire, houses on fire."

The Texas Forest Service responded to 12 wildfires in all on Sunday, involving some 22,432 acres, including a pair of new fires. It has confronted 83 fires in the past week.

In February, more than 110,000 acres and 68 homes were destroyed. No one has died in the wildfires yet this year, per the AP, but the conditions are ripe for the fires to continue.

WATCH (raw footage of Texas wildfires this weekend):

WATCH (raw footage of Texas wildfires in March 2011):

Comments

[KarlaElisa]

12:24 PM on 04/25/2011

Oh look, Texas has a 'plan': Texas governor launches bold prayer-based climate initiative

http://www.grist.org/list/2011-04-22-texas-governor-launches-bold-prayer-based-climate-initiative

[Anita Rooney]

08:46 PM on 04/21/2011

When I said Bush could go to Hell I didn't mean for him to take the whole State of Texas with him!! ......To all my Texas Friends My Heart And Prayers Are with you!!!

[nermz345]

03:36 PM on 04/21/2011

Come on people really? Why are we so quick to savor the suffering of others? So republican's are heartless evil idiots! Texas is wrong for wanting to secede, and a whole bunch of valid points that make you WANT to say "I told you so." WHATEVER! When it is all said and done lives were lost, and this whole "that's what you get mentality" is why BOTH parties bend us over and stick it in on a somewhat regular basis.

And I'd apreciate it if some of the more hateful commenters refrain from using this as an opportunity to verbally bash me and my intelligence level. No I am not naive, and no, whatever snarky comment you are conjuring as you read this will not change the fact that SOME human beings are generally cruel and coldhearted, and would use almost any opportunity to say something mean. A lot of the comments on here have proven that. If you are feeling outraged that I would even suggest this... then I probably hit a nerve. I'm just saying...

[alteredstory]

01:53 PM on 05/22/2011

The "I told you so" comments (some of them anyway) don't mean that the commenter is "savoring the suffering of others". It's just useful, amidst tragedy that didn't need to be so bad, to remember what made it worse, so you can act on that in the future.

I hope everybody comes out of this better than they expect.

[Paula StromSell]

05:30 PM on 04/20/2011

Since Gov Perry and his GOP supporters want serious major budget cuts to the federal budget, maybe FEMA does not have to pay any money to TX for the fires. Furthermore Gov Perry and his followers constantly talk about ceceeding from the US, maybe they need to find the money within their own state to fund this major expense. Only when there aren't funds to help with such horrific events, are people going to start thinking clearly about where to cut the federal budget

[NajkaLion]

10:26 PM on 04/19/2011

Absolutely aid should be sent and everything possible should be done to help people who have suffered as a result of the fires. But it is irritating when Republicans and other conservatives can't admit that there is any role for government other than the defense department. Would it destroy Perry to offer appreciation for federal services? BTW - Texas is not a debtor state. The ratio of taxes paid to aid received is usually a wash.

[cbzd]

03:32 PM on 04/19/2011

So using that burn logic we have to assume that the reason Japan was severely whacked by a tsunami was their insistence at hunting and eating whales. Hey this Karma logic is fun! Now someone please explain why we ended up with Scott Walker?

[Shannon Cunningham]

11:33 AM on 04/29/2011

I love how all the disasters are happening to Japan, Alabama, and Texas and this is because they all deserve punishment while people in the middle east are all killing each other and fighting.

[Shannon Cunningham]

11:35 AM on 04/29/2011

The middle east has leaders like Gaddafi and Japan deserves to be destroyed? lol.

[cbzd]

03:26 PM on 04/19/2011

To paraphrase the Tea Oarty: Let it burn

[arlandbaee]

03:50 AM on 04/19/2011

Aren't firefighters one of the "Services" Republicans want to defund?

I can't stand the hypocrisy.

[Turnaround]

03:58 PM on 04/18/2011

When wildfires were ravaging Cali, Enron Texans said "burn, baby, burn!"

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=620639n&tag=related;photovideo

I'm just sayin'.

[Soulmentor]

04:33 AM on 04/18/2011

I note that Gov Perry is begging for federal aid now. Wasn't he the one pandering on about secession? While I feel for those who are suffering losses, how many of them voted for Perry and his ilk, hmmm? Y'all still want to secede?! Then pay for your losses yourselves and don't ask for my tax dollars. You braindead rednecks down there can't have it both ways.

[adrianinflorida]

05:06 AM on 04/18/2011

Watch out, the Freepers are mad at you for pointing out the hypocrisy of the Tea-Party, Federal Government is evil crowd..

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2706476/posts

"http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/Soulmentor/texas-wildfires-2011-video_n_847776_84847963.html

A commenter to the HuffPo site flips Texas “rednecks” the bird and tells us to pay for our own losses and don’t use “my tax dollars.”

Perhaps we should keep our Texas dollars in Texas."

[Soulmentor]

05:31 AM on 04/18/2011

Let that person rant. He or she did not address my main point and by that convenient avoidance, illustrates the hypocrisy of the secessionist crowd. It's an idle threat in any case. Texas needs the United States more that the US needs Texas if it came to that and if it did, they are welcome to their dollars, along with their redneck hypocrisy and ignorant prejudices.

[lapdogs]

09:18 AM on 04/18/2011

You took the words right out of my mouth!

How ironic they want to be on their own and leave - until they need our help.

I'd take my time in answering Perry's request for FEDERAL Aid.

[texanthrunthru]

12:27 AM on 04/16/2011

I find it extremely disheartening to read most of the posts that I have read about the fires in Texas. I guess this whole country has forgotten what we're all about. I am a volunteer firefighter here in the state of Texas, during this whole episode we lost a firefighter that volunteered his time, and ultimately his life to help someone else. There was a 5 year old girl killed in an automobile accident due to the smoke that suddenly engulfed an interstate highway her and her family were traveling on. Come on, what has our country become? I saw several comments stating things like " let it burn" and " there you go Texas ". Tell that to the families who lost their loved ones and homes. Global warming and climate change has nothing to do with how things happen, the lack of consideration and civility towards our fellow human beings has everything to do with it!

[sandracoston]

07:17 PM on 04/17/2011

I think that your state is a state that thinks they can do quite well without the government..we are not the ones that are out there saying we don't want the government in our lives..if you don't like what we are saying then tell Perry that you don't want to succeed from the Union ..You cant have it both ways..Yes I say burn Texas Burn. you don't want the government except when you need the government...where is the private sector ...aren't they suppose to take care of you....sorry so callous, but this is what you ask for..if you don't like it change your governor...

[texanthrunthru]

08:49 AM on 04/18/2011

As far as I know, Texas didn't ask for assistance, it was offered. Who cares! That is not even the point. It doesn't matter where we live when a tragedy strikes, don't you understand that? Your Union has no problem using our (yours and mine) dollars to provide aid to countries around the world that don't even appreciate it. Two people lost their lives in this tragedy, that's a low number but it's still two lives. What about the deadly storms that ripped apart the midwest and southeast, I don't even know if there is a final count on lives lost. How many homes have been destroyed in the last week? I don't take your comment as callous, you have your opinion just like everyone else. By the way, if you could ever get a straight answer out of our D.C. politicians, they would tell you they don't want Texas to leave because of the severely negative economic impact that move would have on the "union". As far as the "burn Texas burn" attitude, even though we've all heard it before, I have to remind you of an old saying,"what goes around, comes around". I hope you never have to experience these types of tragedies wherever you live.

[Shannon Cunningham]

09:43 AM on 04/28/2011

I live in Fort Davis and FIMA, Red Cross, and other organizations went to all to victims who lost their homes asking if they needed any assistance and all of them said they were fine, they could handle themselves.
"you don't want the government except when you need the government"
That is not true, even after their homes were burned down and had nothing left the still can take care of themselves.

[texanthrunthru]

08:59 AM on 04/18/2011

My deepest condolences to the people who lost loved ones and friends in the horrific storms that tore across the country over the last few days. Sorry for your loss.

[HHUA]

02:01 AM on 04/14/2011

Hey Texas, is it HOT enough there for you yet? But you'll still deny climate change won't you?

[texanthrunthru]

12:32 AM on 04/16/2011

Where do you live?

[zappush]

07:31 PM on 04/13/2011

Attention Republican State: Keep denying climate change and fighting policies to combat it. That can only make things better.

[texanthrunthru]

01:00 AM on 04/16/2011

so now it's politics? Republican State?

[Shannon Cunningham]

09:51 AM on 04/28/2011

global climate change caused by humans must have also caused the ice age that killed all the dinosaurs, right?

[blurredmolly]

03:10 PM on 04/13/2011

Have they asked for federal dollars yet? Hey Texas! Raise taxes and pay for your own.

[IChafe2]

06:59 PM on 04/17/2011

Yes, Perry just asked for it.

[sandracoston]

07:05 PM on 04/17/2011

The government should say no.. this is what they say they want..the tea party doesn't want government in their lives let them burn....

[juwills]

02:03 PM on 05/19/2011

Yes they did and they were denied. But our pres decided it was a good idea to take American tax dollars and send helicopters to Mexico to help fight their fires. Please tell me why I should pay for Mexico to fight their wildfires? As many people on here have already posted, but paraphrased: BURN MEXICO, BURN

[Wilkby]

01:15 PM on 04/13/2011

But it was soooo cold last winter! I thought that meant climate change was all made up! Next they'll tell me the Earth is round.