Texas wildfire: strong winds continue to thwart firefighters’ efforts to contain blaze
Posted: Sun Mar 03, 2024 11:16 am
"Firefighters on the ground are being aided by 12 aircraft, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service on Saturday evening. This included multi-engine air tankers – also known as super scoopers – used to scoop water out of Lake Meredith to tackle the Windy Deuce fire. The Forest Service spent much of Saturday trying to hold the fire line as a wind shift threatened to change the direction of the blaze.
The scale of the destruction is unprecedented, with tens of thousands of acres of farmland, and hundreds of structures including many homes and businesses. Two people died: 44-year-old Cindy Owen and 83-year-old Joyce Blankenship. Thousands of horses, goats, cattle including newborn calves were killed or euthanized after suffering horrific burns and smoke inhalation.
“Just my prediction, but it will be 10,000 that will have died or we’ll have to euthanize… A lot of those cattle are still alive but the hooves are burned off, the teats are burned off, their udders are burned off. It’s just a sad situation.” Texas agriculture commissioner Sid Miller told the BBC."
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... refighters
The scale of the destruction is unprecedented, with tens of thousands of acres of farmland, and hundreds of structures including many homes and businesses. Two people died: 44-year-old Cindy Owen and 83-year-old Joyce Blankenship. Thousands of horses, goats, cattle including newborn calves were killed or euthanized after suffering horrific burns and smoke inhalation.
“Just my prediction, but it will be 10,000 that will have died or we’ll have to euthanize… A lot of those cattle are still alive but the hooves are burned off, the teats are burned off, their udders are burned off. It’s just a sad situation.” Texas agriculture commissioner Sid Miller told the BBC."
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... refighters