A Tragedy: Part Two

Wednesday, September 7th, Day Four: 

The kids and I were seriously stir-crazy, so we decided to go into Austin to visit the Alexanders. Once we walked outside, we were choked by all the smoke in the air. The wind had died down significantly overnight, so the air was filled with smoke and haze. When we arrived in Austin, we could still smell it. It just seemed to be everywhere and there was no getting away from it. We heard reports about people needing to buy masks to wear when they left their houses. Yuck.

We received word that the Alexanders' house was fine, and that was a huge relief. Many of the houses in their neighborhood had burned to the ground, but theirs was saved. We we were starting to hear some good news about the fires. It seemed like there was a chance to try to extinguish some of the flames since the wind wasn't going to be a factor. The only problem with the lack of wind was that the flames could move wherever they wanted. The next thing we heard was that another part of the State Park was burning in the opposite direction, and it was moving back toward the highway, headed in the direction of our subdivision. Of course, these were all random tidbits of information, and we weren't sure about the accuracy, so we didn't know how concerned to be.

The fire in Cedar Creek (near the Alexanders' house) was beginning to be contained by the end of the day, and it looked promising that people could start returning to their homes even as early as the following day. Finally, some good news!

Thursday, September 8th, Day Five: 

More good news. The fire started to calm down a bit, and the fire crews reported some containment! Also, the Alexanders got to return to their house, which was STILL THERE and untouched!

We continued to watch the news, and there was a much-changed attitude around town. Things shifted from "panic" to "saddened." The town took a deep breath and looked around at the aftermath. We started to hear reports of people we knew that had lost everything they had. There were stories circulating of people running from their houses as the flames licked at their back porches, of people driving away from their home to evacuate as fire engulfed both sides of the road. I'm not sure how much is real, as the stories have probably picked up a few embellishments, but I wouldn't be surprised if they were all true, based on the images we've seen.

Our house was still without electricity, so we stayed with my parents one more night. Nathan had returned to the house several times throughout the week, just to check on things and make sure that there weren't any problems. We were also in touch with our neighbor, who was keeping an eye on the house and waiting for power to be restored to our neighborhood.

Friday, September 9th, Day Six: 

We learned that our house finally had power late Thursday night, and we were super excited to get home! Mom and Dad said that the kids could stay with them for one more night to give us a chance to unpack, minus distractions. I also had a massive amount of food to return to the freezer and refrigerator. Packing up everything to go home was a project, let me tell you. However, while I was thinking about how great it would be to get to sleep in my own bed and shower in my own bathroom, I was reminded that many of our friends were no so fortunate. I felt so guilty.

The kids and I went out to see the Alexanders, and I brought my camera. This is the street leading to their home. The house is situated almost directly behind the unburned area on the right side, at the back. So close.

Nathan and I were able to go home that evening, and it was really good to see that everything was okay. I was still a little paranoid about being there, but it turned out to be just fine, and we managed to get a good night's sleep.

Since then, the fire situation has continued to improve, and people are gradually being allowed to visit their neighborhoods and survey the damages. My heart really goes out to them as they are grieving, and I wish them the best as they decide how to rebuild their homes and their lives.

When photos and maps of the damaged areas began to surface, I realized just how close we came to being a part of this tragedy. If the wind had shifted just the slightest, our house would have seriously been in jeopardy.

See the red circle off to the left? That's where our house sits.

The latest summary I've seen (dated 9/13/11):
Acres: 34,068 Total 

Start date of fire: September 4, 2011
Cause: Under investigation 

Location: 6 miles northeast of Bastrop, Texas
Containment: 70% (Bastrop Fire), 90% (Union Chapel Fire)

Fuels: Timber/residential area

Total personnel: 1210
Resources: 21 crews, 131 engines, 4 helicopters, 8 water tenders, 9 dozers

Even though this fire is over now, Texas is still in a great deal of danger. We haven't had any rain, and the weather forecasts don't really lead me to believe that we're getting any soon. Flash fires and hot spots continue to flare up around town, and other fires are burning throughout the state. What do the next few weeks hold? We need to pray for rain. We really, really need to pray for rain. I don't think anyone wants to see something like this happen again.