As extreme drought conditions continue, severe wildfire conditions continue throughout the great state of Texas. As we had mentioned in the previous post, Tropical Storm Lee’s landfall to our immediate east brought high winds and low humidity values to many regions around the state even further increasing our wildfire dangers over the past weekend.
Over the Labor Day weekend, there were numerous fires in the State and our local region.
In our area, the Magnolia Fire near Magnolia, TX which started 9/5/11 and as of this morning is reported to be 80-85% contained is one of the largest seen. The fire has reportedly destroyed over 8,000 acres and over 75 homes. Emergency Management officials continue to call for additional evacuations in the area due to the remaining fire areas.
Across the state, the Bastrop Fire continues to be one of the largest, burning over 33,000 acres, over 1,023 homes, with two reported deaths over the past 4 days . The fire is still only 30-35% contained.
MODIS Satellite Imagery of Texas from 9/5/2011
Current Texas Fires with Texas Forest Service Assistance
