Wildfires have burned across Texas in recent weeks, and regions like Bastrop, Texas are still fighting the flames. The Texas county near Austin has been battling a raging wildfire since Sunday.
According to KXAN, officials confirmed on Tuesday that two people died in the fires, but their identities were not revealed at the time. Estimates suggest over 550 homes have been lost in the region.
According to Governor Rick Perry's website, the state is working to help with wildfire response by providing two CH-47 Chinook Aircraft and three UH-60 Blackhawks to help fight fires in Bastrop County. The state has also deployed to the county "emergency management personnel, highway patrol troopers, air assets and a mobile communications center."
The site also reports that in the past week, Texas Forest Service has responded to 181 fires burning over 118,400 acres, with new fires in Bastrop and other counties.
Perry took an aerial tour of wildfire damage near Austin on Tuesday, and said, "These fires are serious and widespread, and as mean as I have ever seen."
In a KXAN video news report, an anchor described Bastrop wildfires as still "burning out of control." Jarrod Wise reported from a Bastrop convention center where evacuees can receive information and donations. Because winds are dying down, officials hope that progress might be made on combating the fires.
As of Tuesday, the Associated Press reported that over 1,000 homes had been destroyed in Texas wildfires. Texas has experienced the worst drought since the 1950's.
Scroll down to watch the KXAN report, and look at AP photos/captions from the Bastrop, Texas wildfires below.
