TEXAS FIRES – April 21 Update

TEXAS BURNING FROM STEM TO STERN: TFS

Texas Totals: 828 Structures and 1,779,788 acres consumed by 6,057  fires 

Report: End of Wednesday, April 20, 2011
National Preparedness Level: 1
Southern Area Preparedness Level: 3
TFS Preparedness Level: 5

Texas Fires YTD Totals

Fires: 6,057
Acres Burned: 1,779,788
Structures Destroyed: 828
Source: Texas Forest Service (TFS)

Fatalities
Two firefighters have lost their lives, including one near Lubbock who was killed yesterday
Two sightseers were killed as their plance  circled over fires Tuesday.

Livestock
NO official figures have been released so far. However,  FIRE-EARTH estimates that up to 20,000 heads of cattle may have been killed or injured as a result of the deadly fires since beginning of the year.

Dry Conditions Decimating Texas Crops

Texas farmers produce about 100 million bushels of wheat on average each year, but they would be lucky to produce  a third of that amount this year, says Texas AgriLife Extension Service .

“This year’s crop condition ratings show about 40 percent of the Texas crop in very poor condition, which compares with 65 percent very poor in March of 2006 and 53 percent very poor in May of 2009,” said Dr. Mark Welch, AgriLife Extension economist specializing in grain marketing and policy.

Related News Links

• Agricultural Drought Task Force   
• Firefighters battle two blazes near Magnolia, Shenandoah

Related Links

• Texas Fires: More Towns Evacuated
• TEXAS ON FIRE
• Wildfires Devastating Texas; Gov. Perry Tours
• Local officials in a parched Texas county have resorted to asking their constituents to pray for rain
• Drought sears farmers’ hopes: They had wanted to take advantage of record prices for commodities
• U.S. Agrees to Help Fight Mexico Wildfires

• Global Disaster Forecast – UPDATE 17 Mar
• 2011 Disaster Calendar
• Extreme fire danger, continued major flooding in the US

• US Wildfire Pattern Consistent with Drought
• National Fire Stats Falsified?
• Denver wildfire forces evacuation of 10,000 homes
• Wildfires Wreaking Havoc Across the U.S.
• World on Fire
• U-S Attacked by Continued Severe Weather

Last Updated: April 21, 2011 at 09:28UTC