*Texas wildfires devastate Montague County*

[Guest guest]

Sounds bad and too boot tornados are kicking up not far from the TX/OK

border and such.

Oh and not that this is important but if anyone has any photos of oil field

burn overs like tanks and or pump jacks and other such stuff I could

really use same for some updates to presentations.

Please e-Mail me off list if you have those.

Thanks.

LNM

*Texas wildfires devastate Montague County* *09:28 AM CDT on Friday, April

10, 2009* *Wire and Dallas Morning News staff reports*

FORT WORTH, Texas – Fires fueled by high winds raced across thousands of

parched acres in North Texas, destroying homes and forcing the temporary

evacuations of some small towns, schools and a nursing home.

The towns of Sunset and Stoneburg in Montague County were devastated by

Thursday's fires. Several dozen homes were destroyed, with only a heap of

debris and ashes remaining. Television news footage showed burning houses

and oil tanks and skeletons of buildings.

WFAA-TV's Web site reported that former reporter Matt Quinn and his wife

Cathy perished Thursday when fire swept through their property in rural

Montague County, a family member said. Cathy's son, suffered burns

and was being treated Friday at the Parkland Memorial Hospital burn unit in

Dallas. Hospital official said he is in fair condition.

The National Weather Service said that crews are still dealing with

hotspots

today. Winds will bring smoke and haze to the Dallas area, and residents

can

still expect a smoldering smell in the air this morning.

" It's hard to say what will happen this afternoon, " said Martello, a

weather service meteorologist. " It will not be as near as bad as

yesterday. "

The high winds and haze were enough to delay flights at Dallas/Fort Worth

International Airport on Thursday, and the Texas Commission on

Environmental

Quality urged people who are sensitive to smoke or with respiratory

problems

to stay indoors.

Air quality in the Dallas area has returned to near-normal levels, said the

comission, which recorded in the Dallas area on Thursday a high of about 80

parts per billion of smoke and dust particles, a level that is considered

potentially unhealthy. As of 6 a.m. Friday, local monitors were counting

around 10 parts per billion — pretty much normal for this time of year.

And both Dallas/Fort Worth and Dallas Love Field reported normal operations

this morning.

The Thursday fires that swept through Sunset and Stoneburg were among

several totaling about 25,000 acres that prompted the evacuations of

Montague, Saint Jo and Bowie about 65 miles northwest of Fort Worth,

according to the Texas Forest Service. Earlier in the day, a Bowie

elementary school was evacuated.

A more than 5,000-acre wildfire near Electra destroyed one agriculture

company's buildings and warehouses, Wichita County Sheriff Duke said.

Thick, black smoke from burning debris inside the buildings as well as the

grass prompted authorities to shut down a few miles of U.S. Highway 287 for

several hours, Duke said.

" The smoke was so heavy that you couldn't see, and it was pretty intense

for

a little while, " Duke told The Associated Press by telephone Thursday

night.

" At one point in the county we had 10 fires burning, and we were going from

one to the other. "

About 800 residents and a nursing home were evacuated in Electra at one

point, but they were allowed to return home by evening as the fire was

contained and did not reach the town, Duke said. Several buildings in other

parts of the county also were destroyed, he said.

Earlier in the day, winds as high as 60 mph in most areas halted aerial

firefighting efforts. Winds died down during the evening.

Firefighters in Archer County were battling a 4,000-acre fire – resulting

from two blazes that combined – east of Archer City, about 90 miles

northwest of Fort Worth. Three homes were destroyed.

Earlier Thursday to the south, a 3,000-acre fire in Young County had spread

into Jack County and was threatening the town of Bryson. Authorities

already

urged residents in two other towns in the fire's path to evacuate.

In nearby s County, residents near Breckenridge were evacuated when

a

3,000-acre fire threatened an apartment complex, according to the Texas

Forest Service.

" This was a very difficult day, and we knew it would be based on the

forecast of (dry grass as) fuels and high winds, " said Bill Beebe, a Texas

Forest Service spokesman. " We weren't able to help all the counties that

asked because there were so many. "

In West Texas in Callahan County, a wildfire prompted officials to evacuate

students at an intermediate school and a high school in Clyde for about two

hours, a Sheriff's Department dispatcher said. Clyde is about 20 miles

southwest of Abilene.

Nearby in Eastland County, a 60-acre fire that was almost under control

spread another 7,000 acres on Thursday.

In Brown County, firefighters also battled a 1,000-acre blaze near Bangs

that destroyed one home and threatened three dozen more.

Fires also were burning in parts of Hamilton, San Saba, , Palo Pinto,

Wise, Hood and Cooke counties, according to the Texas Forest Service.

More than 93 percent of Texas was in some stage of drought, according to

the

U.S. Drought Monitor map released Thursday.

Source:

_http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/041009dnt

exwildfires.558dc1.html_

(http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/041009dntexwi\

ldfires.558dc1.html)

Louis N. Molino, Sr., CET

FF/NREMT-B/FSI/EMSI

Freelance Consultant/Trainer/Author/Journalist/Fire Protection Consultant

LNMolino@...

(Cell Phone)

(IFW/FSS Office)/

(IFWF/SS Fax)

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