theatlantic:

More Texas Wildfires

Tropical Storm Lee passed near Texas over the weekend, bringing its strong winds to the state, but none of its much-needed rain. The strong gusts fanned some 60 separate wildfires across the drought-stricken region, destroying more than 1,000 homes, forcing more than 5,000 people to evacuate, and killing at least two people. Especially hard-hit has been Bastrop County, about 25 miles from the city of Austin, where a 30,000 acre fire still burns uncontained. Collected here are some of the scenes from around Texas, where residents continue to struggle with a long drought and wildfires that have burned 3.6 million acres since November 2010. See earlier entry Texas Wildfires, from April, 2011.

Above: Flames engulf a road near Bastrop State Park as a wildfire burns out of control near Bastrop, Texas, on September 5, 2011. (Reuters/Mike Stone)

See more photos at In Focus

Source: theatlantic

Reblogged from The AtlanticPost created by theatlantic September 6, 2011