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Firefighters had ‘good night’ in Bastrop; Texas 71 to reopen tomorrow, officials say
Firefighting efforts in Bastrop County have reached day six, and emergency crews gained progress Thursday night against a blaze that has consumed hundreds of homes and thousands of acres.
The news bodes well for residents hoping to return to homes that survived the massive fires, which have consumed 36,000 acres and nearly 1,400 homes at last count.
“We had a pretty good night,” said Mike Fisher, coordinator of emergency management for Bastrop County. “We didn’t lose any new acreage.”
Bastrop County officials, who were joined by Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, spoke to residents and the media in a morning briefing in which they discussed power restoration, school openings, donations and a pending request for federal disaster relief.
County Judge Ronnie McDonald noted residents’ unease about not being allowed to their properties.
“I know folks are getting frustrated,” he said. But “I want to make sure my count doesn’t go above two lives lost. … Work with us through this process.”
Mark Rose, the CEO of Bluebonnet Electric Cooperative, said more than 100 crews are continuing to assess the situation and restore power to homes that were not affected by the wildfire.
The utility has posted a map, right, of when areas could have power restored. Click here for the PDF.
Noting displaced residents’ frustration, Rose said the co-op is getting close to allowing more people into areas that have been closed off. But he said, for some, it’ll be “days not hours” as crews make sure it’s safe to return to neighborhoods around Bastrop.
But residents will not be allowed back to their properties until all utility poles have been extinguished and other fires have been put out, Rose said.
Rose added that his crews will energize the areas west of Tahitian Drive soon, but areas to the east cannot get power soon.
“Our first priority is to get people in non-burned areas home,” Rose said.
No new areas were opened to residents today.
About 200 Bastrop County residents were allowed to return to homes in unburned parts of the county Thursday afternoon as a first phase of re-entry. It’s not clear, however, when the next phase of residents will be allowed to go home, Fisher said.
Click here for a list of areas opened to residents Thursday and here for map.
County officials today updated a partial list of destroyed structures.
They also updated maps showing some of the destroyed homes in the Circle D and KC Estates area, the Pine Forest neighborhood and the south area of Tahitian Village.
Three shelters remain open for evacuees:
Celebration Community Church, Cool Water Drive at Longhorn Street, Bastrop; 512-332-2537
Ascension Catholic Church, 802 Pine St., Bastrop; 512-321-2452
Smithville Recreation Center, Texas 95 and First Street, Smithville; 512-237-3282
A cause and the location where the fire started have not been been determined, McDonald said.
Donations have been pouring in at such a voluminous pace that the county had all it can hold as of this morning, Fisher said. He added, however, that his staff is trying to find another location for more donations in the coming days.
Click here and here for ways to help victims and firefighters.
Bastrop schools will be open Monday, Superintendent Steve Murray said. Residents have asked him to help try to return to some semblance of normalcy as soon as possible, he said.
Business as usual might be impossible, Murray said, but the district will do what it can to help students. Counselors will be on hand at the school, as they have at shelters, he said.
Normally, the district has about 300 homeless students, which require certain allowances, but Murray said he expects that number to increase by three times, four times or more because of the fire.
Check the district website for more information, he recommended. Also, for school bus routes, he said to call the bus company at 512-321-5262 or 512-321-5706.
All students will get free breakfast and lunch next week, Murray said.
“We’ll see where it goes beyond that,” he said.
Smithville school officials also intend to open Monday, the district announced on its website.
“Buses will pick up displaced students at Smithville Recreation Center and First Baptist Church between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m.,” the statement said. “Displaced students temporarily housed outside the Smithville ISD boundaries, please contact the SISD offices at 512-237-2487 for pick up arrangements.”
Bastrop County residents living south of U.S. 290 and not in the city of Bastrop are being asked to boil their water before drinking it.
Firefighters tapping into water lines to fight the wildfires has led to decreased water pressure in Aqua Water Supply Corp. pipes, which allows harmful microbes to enter the pipes, officials said.
Aqua Water’s 18,000 customers are being asked to boil their water for two minutes before drinking it. The pipes cannot be repaired until the burn area is safe to enter and chlorinated water is flushed through the system, officials said.
Texas 71 will reopen between Bastrop and Smithville at 8 a.m. tomorrow.
Fisher said officials made the decision because most areas of the fire area near the four-lane road have been declared safe, though smoke may remain a problem. He said reduced speed limits may be imposed for a time.
In addition, Fisher said only through traffic will be allowed on the highway.
“We won’t be allowing any egress or access onto the side streets and roads, just through traffic,” he said.
McDonald said 844 personnel are on the ground fighting the fire, along with three helicopters and 143 engines.
Fisher said it is unlikely that firefighters will need to use a DC-10 plane that has been on standby at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.
There was confusion involving the air support, with some saying that the plane, which was moved here from California, would be used for the Bastrop fire. However, the plane is dedicated to be on call for any Texas fire, and at this time, Bastrop area officials have not deemed it necessary.
It’s a costly option, too, as each use runs at least $70,000, Fisher said.
“It’s an asset, it’s available,” he said.
The plane left Austin shortly before 11 a.m. to fight the Riley Road fire northwest of Houston that spans four counties, Texas Forest Service officials said. That fire, which has consumed 15,000 acres, continues to grow and burn additional acres, said Nick Harrison, a spokesman for the service.
A few residents who attended the morning briefing shouted out questions about help from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst said at the briefing that he wrote a second letter today to President Barack Obama, asking for aid.
The letter came from Dewhurst because he’s the acting governor while Gov. Rick Perry is out of state.
A disaster declaration would give Texas access to heavy equipment and federal dollars, said Dewhurst, who’s running for U.S. Senate.
“We need help yesterday,” Dewhurst said. But so far, he added, “Nothing’s happened.”
Speaking directly to the president, Dewhurst said: “Mr. President, we need a statewide disaster declaration right away.”
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