Forest Fires in Bastrop Texas, Sept 4, 2011

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wELdKgk80e8

The Bastrop area in Texas have been experiencing intense wildfires that have been continuing into September and have claimed two lives so far. The fire stretches 34,000 acres and has destroyed 550 homes. Over 4,000 residents in Bastrop have been evacuated. The Texas Forest Service lost about 1/3 of its normal budget last week. They have lost about $35 million over two years. With the very dry conditions in this Bastrop area, it has caused the fires to spread extremely fast. The website also explains what areas are contained and how much is contained at this point. Some residents in the Spicewood area maybe allowed back into their homes. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have aauthorized funds to be used to fight the Texas wildefires.
The website for news on the Texas fires gives updates on the progress of the fires and helpful links such as a link with a list of things to bring when evacuating and ways you can help fire victims.

http://kutnews.org/post/central-texas-wildfire-updates-september-6-2011