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Ear to the Ground

Raging Texas Fires Destroy More Than 1,000 Homes

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Posted on Sep 6, 2011
Flickr / GalgenTX (CC-BY)

Fires continue Tuesday in Bastrop County, Texas.

Wildfires continue to rage in Texas, and by Tuesday the estimated 85 fires had destroyed more than 7,500 acres and more than 1,000 homes.

The fires gained momentum from relentless weather conditions, especially the region’s ongoing drought and high winds brought on by Tropical Storm Lee. So far, more than 5,000 people have been evacuated from their homes in the most at-risk areas.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry, who canceled campaign plans Monday to return to deal with the disaster, said he hoped Tuesday’s forecast for lower temperatures and slowing winds would give firefighters a chance to contain the fires. Perry will continue with his campaign on Wednesday. A spokesman said the candidate on Wednesday evening would make his first appearance in a GOP presidential debate, part of a series. —BF

The Los Angeles Times:

The wildfires are particularly serious in Bastrop County, east of Austin, where more than 5,000 residents were evacuated. At least 476 homes were destroyed there, the highest number of homes ever lost in a single fire in Texas history.

In the town of Bastrop itself, helicopters and planes loaded with water could be seen overhead as firefighters converged around homes catching fire along a state highway outside the city.

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By purplewolf, September 7, 2011 at 8:18 pm Link to this comment

Gee, Rick and Eric Cuntor’s home bases all in the same time period. God must really be pissed at them, Earthquakes, Hurricanes and Wildfires. Gives new meaning to the Holy Trinity. They must have done something very, very bad to have all this much calamity befall states.

They must repent their evil deeds they have done against the “least of mine” thing. How’s that praying working out for you, hah?

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By socalcde, September 7, 2011 at 9:28 am Link to this comment

Are there a lot of “gays” in Texas?

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By reedprinters, September 7, 2011 at 8:58 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Wild Fires are really not good these days.. however, I
would understand coz look at how destroyed our ozone
layer is now.

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By Roger Lafontaine, September 7, 2011 at 7:56 am Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Perry may be ‘biblically centered’ as he claims but he still can’t ‘read the writing on the wall’ when it’s right in front of his nose. Someday someone will make a parable out of this.

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By SoTexGuy, September 7, 2011 at 6:18 am Link to this comment

The Evangelicals will have no trouble explaining the problems besetting Preacher Perry’s home ground..  We either are not praying enough or there are still some godless liberals tucked around in the state somewhere earning His wrath..

That’s assuming they are asked to explain anything.. it just doesn’t work that way. That’s not good news.

These people act as if they are the modern prophets, mouthpieces for God. Some even claim to be such. I don’t see any serious effort to debunk those claims, nor do I expect any.. You can’t insult a man’s faith! Unless of course you
don’t like his beliefs. or he prays in a funny-shaped building.

Look at the hoops the State had to jump through just to convict that pedophile child-trafficker Jeffs.. and he still enjoys the absolute support of much of his ‘Church’! Belief trumps all.. science, fact, experience.. everything.

The Christian Dominionists and the people who use them are straightforward in their plans and beliefs ‘you’re with us or agin us’.. Now where have we heard that before?

Adios.

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By steve-o-reno, September 7, 2011 at 3:25 am Link to this comment

Well, as a fellow Texan, I’d have to say that this proves that god thinks Gov. Perry is a moron too.

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By Timothy Blackmon, September 6, 2011 at 7:51 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

Global Warming.

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By berniem, September 6, 2011 at 4:04 pm Link to this comment

Nothing fails like prayer! FREE BRADLEY MANNING!!!!

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By Big B, September 6, 2011 at 2:57 pm Link to this comment

Guess the Texans just aren’t praying hard enough.

But then again, my christian brothers tell me that sometimes the answer is “no”.

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By PatrickHenry, September 6, 2011 at 2:25 pm Link to this comment

Now how close is this to Midland?

I hope someones curse against George Bush was comming to fruition.

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By Patrick, September 6, 2011 at 2:23 pm Link to this comment
(Unregistered commenter)

So what are the evangelical crazies saying about this one, a full summer of Texas droughts and wildfires? Sure does look biblical! Who is god punishing, huh? Could it be YOU this time? Not the New York gays or the East Coast liberals or New Orleans revelers—but hateful, bigoted, selfish religious nuts?

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