Jet tanker called in to fight against Central Texas wildfire

Friday afternoon, Bastrop County officials announced the Hidden Pines fire had scorched more than 4,500 acres, but was now 40-percent contained.

“This is a day of transition for Bastrop County”, Bastrop County Judge Paul Pape said at a news conference Friday morning, referring to the aircraft assistance and the troublesome winds.

Firefighters say conditions overnight into Friday should be kind to the fire fight, with a bit higher humidity and less gusty winds.

Additional firefighters are on their way to battle the blaze, which is in the same pine forest area where a 2011 wildfire burned through a few 34,000 acres, or 53 square miles. While firefighters work putting out hotspots and creating containment lines, many residents of Bastrop and Smithville watched the skies above them as aircraft dropped tons of water on their burning bone dry land.

If approved by the Obama Administration, Texas will be eligible for reimbursement of up to 75 percent of the costs associated with the fire.

Kidd said Bastrop County and the state of Texas should be prepared to control the fires for the next seven to 10 days.

Despite progress, those who lost their homes four years ago-in the 2011 Bastrop fire- say they don’t want to be lulled into a false sense of security.

“It just seems like every time I call, man, we are caught with our trousers down”, Kraft said. She said the media reported numbers are likely to be accurate.

Bastrop County officials hope the arrival of a cool front will help slow the advance of the fire.

Steve Sims and his wife were also evacuated on Thursday after a neighbor’s back porch caught on fire. He, like many residents with children duck into the converted Smithville Rec Center on their lunch hour to check on whether their home has been destroyed or passed on by the wildfire. So far, there have been no reports of injuries.

National Weather Service meteorologist Cory Van Pelt says temperatures of 93 degrees around Austin on Thursday will flirt with record highs for this time of year.

Smoke from the wildfire can be seen in downtown Austin, more than 40 miles east of the flames.

“When we left yesterday, it was probably a quarter-of-a-mile away from our house”, she said through tears.

“He saw the fire jump across the street and onto his property”, Mr. Moniger said to the AP.