BASTROP, Texas — Firefighters from across the state swarmed into Central Texas on Labor Day to combat devastating wildfires that have left hundreds homeless and prompted Gov. Rick Perry to abruptly return from a scheduled East Coast political appearance.
Almost 600 homes have been destroyed in a massive Bastrop County fire that has raged since Sunday, according to Texas Forest Service figures released Tuesday morning. Just over 50 miles to the northwest, fires forced the evacuation of residents from an affluent subdivision near Lake Travis in the Austin Hill Country.
"We've got a long way to go to get this thing contained," Perry said at a news conference at the Bastrop Convention Center after touring the fire zone with U.S. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Austin. Perry, the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, flew back to Texas after bowing out of a presidential forum in South Carolina.
Perry's decision to temporarily leave the campaign trail underscored the devastation of wildfires that have scorched drought-ridden Texas from Possum Kingdom Lake in Palo Pinto County to a swath of Central Texas not far from the state's capital.
More than 700 homes in the state have been destroyed by wildfires in the past two days and firefighters have responded to 181 fires that have charred 118,413 acres in Texas, the forest service reported.
Fueled by gusting winds -- some stemming from Tropical Storm Lee -- and drought conditions, the fire in Bastrop County stretched across more than 25,000 acres just a few miles outside town and sent a towering cloud of gray smoke arching across the horizon. Up to 5,000 residents from largely rural neighborhoods were evacuated, but no fatalities or injuries were reported.
"It was a surreal experience," Perry said after seeing the fire zone. "I have seen a number of big fires in my life. This one is as mean-looking as I ever seen because it is so close to the city."
Perry said he planned to immediately request federal disaster relief for Texas fire victims. The Obama administration turned down an earlier Perry request for wildfire relief, but the Republican governor said he hopes that the new request will be "answered swiftly."
Although Bastrop County was the scene of the worst outbreak, fires also destroyed at least 25 homes in the Steiner Ranch subdivision of Travis County, a picturesque Hill Country development, and forced the evacuation of 1,000 homes. About 20 homes were destroyed in a fire that spread across 7,000 acres southeast of Spicewood, officials said.
Over the weekend, the Texas Forest Service responded to 63 new fires that have burned 32,936 acres, including new fires in Bastrop, Travis, Henderson, Limestone, Caldwell and Colorado counties, according to the governor's office. The Forest Service was also battling existing wildfires, including major fires in Palo Pinto, Briscoe, Coryell and Montague counties.
The fire in Bastrop County, whose origin is unknown, spread to the southwest and eventually merged with another fire. Pine trees that have given the area the nickname the Lost Pines contributed to the fires, their dry needles apparently fueling the flames, officials said.
Although the worst devastation has been east of Bastrop, a new threat erupted late Monday morning in the Cedar Creek neighborhood west of town when fire spread through dry brush, forcing the evacuation of dozens of homeowners. Fire officials said the fires were apparently started by a downed power line that touched off a grass fire.
Escaping the inferno
"I've got to get out of here," said Urban Graf, a 64-year-old retired Marine, as gray smoke wafted across the yard of his four-bedroom, three-bath home. Graf asked a reporter to drive his red 2011 Camaro to safety while he loaded his three dogs and a cat in another vehicle to escape the approaching fire.
Graf said he had gone into Bastrop to offer help to others but quickly returned after learning about the new fire in his rural neighborhood. He said he bought the home, now valued at about $300,000, nearly two decades ago. "I guess I'm going to lose it," he said as he prepared to evacuate.
Suellen Payne, who lives in a century-old home in Bastrop's downtown historic district, turned her residence into a temporary refuge for more than 15 friends who were forced to abandon their homes when the worst of the fires engulfed the eastern portion of the county over the weekend.
One of the guests, Leigh Ann Cloutier, said she hadn't been able to get any information on her home for at least 24 hours but feared the worst.
Ernestina and Tony Balderas huddled in a parked van with their eight children after gathering up "a few clothes" and their new computer to escape a fire near their neighborhood.
The fires also threatened historic structures in Bastrop State Park, many of which were constructed in the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps, and threatened the endangered Houston toad. Bastrop County's Lost Pines area is home to the largest known population of the small, reclusive amphibians.
'Worst thing I've ever seen'
Firefighters and emergency rescue teams from across the state poured into the area throughout the day, many of them fresh from battling fires elsewhere in Texas. Capt. Dan White of Dallas/Fort Worth Airport Fire Rescue said his team of about 20 had dealt with wildfires in Palo Pinto County and the Ennis area before arriving in Bastrop County at midday Monday.
"It's the worst thing I've ever seen," White said.
Since the start of wildfire season, local and state crews have responded to more than 20,900 fires that have destroyed more than 1,000 homes and burned 3.6 million acres, the governor's office said.
Staff writers Anna M. Tinsley, Alex Branch and Domingo Ramirez Jr. contributed to this report.
