STORM2K

"We didn't take any clothes, and now it's all gone," Kenneth Dixson said Wednesday night while eating at First Baptist Church, where the Red Cross set up a shelter. "I didn't want to go back out there today. I just didn't want to see it again."

Severe drought, wind gusts of 40 mph and temperatures reaching the low 80s earlier this week set the stage for the fires in Texas and Oklahoma, which authorities believe were mostly set by people ignoring fire bans and burning trash, shooting fireworks or throwing out cigarettes. At least 73 blazes were reported in Texas over two days, and dozens more broke out in Oklahoma.

Grass Fires Spread Rapidly Across Much of Texas

Reported by Scott Lawrence
January 2, 2006 - 9:07AM


CARBON, Texas (AP) _ Weary firefighters continued working Monday to contain several grass fires around the state, including a 25-mile-long blaze that destroyed homes, forced evacuations and left little standing in some small West Texas towns.

Several other grass fires were reported in the drought-stricken state, as well as Oklahoma and New Mexico. Officials warned that continuing dry, gusty conditions mean more extreme fire danger in parts of Texas that haven't seen rain in nearly two weeks.

"December 20th was the last time we had any appreciable rain. We had about a quarter-inch over the area," said Jesse Moore, a National Weather Service meteorologist in Fort Worth. "That wasn't enough to help that much."

Computer models Monday showed no rain in the foreseeable forecast, although Moore said the long-term outlook can change daily.

The biggest fire in Texas on Monday was in Eastland County about 125 miles west of Dallas. State officials were dispatching more helicopters and airplanes to battle that 22,400-acre blaze near the small towns of Carbon, Gorman and Desdemona, said Texas Forest Service spokeswoman Traci Weaver.

Crews also were to conduct house-to-house searches for casualties in the fire-blackened towns, as well as in Cross Plains, about 25 miles west of Carbon, where more than 90 homes and a church were destroyed last week.

At least 20 fires started Sunday and prompted evacuations and road closures in North and West Texas. The tiny communities of Kokomo, near Eastland, and Ringgold, near Wichita Falls, were essentially destroyed, Weaver said.

"It's pretty much gone," Weaver said of Kokomo.

She said about 30 homes were destroyed in Ringgold, a town of about 100. About 20 homes were burned out in the 13 miles from Ringgold to Nocona, Montague County Judge James Kittrell said Monday. The American Red Cross has set up an emergency shelter at a church in Muenster, about 35 miles east of Ringgold.

A fire near Mineral Wells was contained but had destroyed six homes, Weaver said.

Firefighters were close to encircling the Eastland County fire early Monday but were concerned about an expected wind shift, Weaver said.

Some Carbon residents who fled Sunday said at least two dozen homes were destroyed in their town; officials said those figures were not available.

Bill Sandlin, 63, and his wife saw smoke on the horizon as they returned home from church Sunday, then started watering their yard. But as flames approached, they packed clothes, pictures and his gun collection. They drove away in a travel trailer just as flames started to engulf their house and three barns.

"We hate losing our stuff, but at least everybody's OK," said Sandlin, who picked up his elderly mother as he left town and later reunited with his children.

"We just took up money for the folks in Cross Plains at church this morning, never thinking it would be us in just three hours," said Mallory Fagan. She waited in nearby Eastland with her daughter, who is nine months pregnant, and 30 dogs from the family's dog rescue.

Mark Pipkin, Eastland Fire Department safety officer, said one firefighter sprained an ankle. Three firefighters were injured in Ringgold, but details were not available, officials said.

Other fires were burning Monday in Sterling County near San Angelo and in Donley County in the Panhandle.

On Sunday, a blaze south of Dumas started after a truck wreck that killed the driver, said DPS Trooper Wayne Beighle. Smoke from several fires and blowing dust prompted DPS to close several roads.

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