2011 Texas wildfires

2011 Texas wildfires
1
2
3
4
5
6
1
Rockhouse Fire
2
Frying Pan Ranch
3
Wildcat Fire
4
Cooper Mountain Ranch Fire
5
Swenson Fire
6
Possum Kingdom Complex
An April 15, 2011 satellite image of several active wildfires over West Texas with smoke blown towards the southeast
Statistics[1][2]
Total fires31,453
Total area4,011,709 acres (1,623,481 ha)
Impacts
Deaths10 total (6 civilians, 4 firefighters)
Non-fatal injuries62
Damage$513.9 million (2011 USD)
By October 16, 2011, about 3,853,475 acres (1,559,446 ha) of Texas had burned in a single fire season, equivalent to a square of about 77.5 by 77.5 miles (124.7 by 124.7 km).

The 2011 Texas wildfires were a series of destructive wildfires in Texas that occurred in the 2011 fire season. During 2011 in Texas, around 31,453 fires had burned 4,000,000 acres or 16,190 square kilometres[3] (about double the previous record), 2,947 homes[3] (1,939 of which were destroyed over the Labor Day weekend), and over 2,700 other structures.[4] 47.3% of all acreage burned in the United States in 2011 was burned in Texas. The fires had been particularly severe due to the 2011 Southern US drought that covered the state, and was exacerbated by the unusual convergence of strong winds, unseasonably warm temperatures, and low humidity.[5]

Timber lost to drought and wildfire in 2011 could have produced $1.6 billion worth of products, resulting in a $3.4 billion economic impact in East Texas.[6]

Firefighters from more than forty-three states were involved in combating the fires.[7] Two firefighters were killed. Eastland volunteer firefighter Gregory M. Simmons, 51, died April 15 while battling a 3,000-acre (12 km2) blaze Friday afternoon near Eastland. Cactus volunteer firefighter Elias Jaquez died April 20 from injuries sustained while fighting a blaze April 9 in Moore County.

On Sunday, September 4, 2011, a forest fire known as the Bastrop County Complex Fire engulfed rural areas to the east Bastrop, Texas, including the Tahitian Village development, and by September 30 had destroyed 1,645 homes, burned 34,068 acres, and killed two people.[8] This fire is now regarded as the most catastrophic wildfire in Texas history.[9]

Texas Governor Rick Perry declared a State of Disaster starting on December 21, 2010, and renewed the proclamation every month. On April 16, 2011, Perry asked that President Barack Obama declare 252 of 254 Texas counties as disaster areas due to wildfires and wildfire danger;[10] the request was partially approved on July 1, 2011.[11] Critics of the governor's relief efforts point to his budget cuts to the Texas Forest Service which provides a first line of defense against wildfires.[12] Overall, wildfires in Texas during 2011 caused $510.927 million in damages and caused six fatalities, though an additional 62 people were injured.[13]

  1. ^ Justice Jones; April Saginor; Brad Smith (2013). "2011 Texas Wildfires; Common Denominators of Home Destruction" (PDF). tfsweb.tamu.edu. Texas A&M Forest Service. Retrieved May 11, 2022.
  2. ^ National Centers for Environmental Information. "Search Results for All Counties in Texas". Storm Events Database. Asheville, North Carolina: National Climatic Data Center. Retrieved June 14, 2019.
  3. ^ a b "2011 Texas Wildfires: Common Denominators of Home Destruction", tamu.edu, December 2011, webpage (PDF): tamu-TW.
  4. ^ Texas Fires 2011 Fact Sheet September 20, 2011 Archived October 15, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ Tripp, Leslie; Gallman, Stephanie (April 19, 2011). "Arrest made in connection with Texas wildfire near Austin". CNN.com. Retrieved April 18, 2011.
  6. ^ Texas Water Report: Going Deeper for the Solution Archived 2014-02-22 at the Wayback Machine Texas Comptroller of Public Accounts. Retrieved 2/10/14.
  7. ^ "Fighters From 43 States Battle Far-Flung Texas Wildfires". The New York Times. April 26, 2011.
  8. ^ "Texas fire destroys 1,554 homes, 17 people missing | kvue.com Austin". Archived from the original on October 5, 2011. Retrieved September 12, 2011.
  9. ^ Bastrop fire investigation concluded Archived October 15, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ Perry's disaster request letter Archived August 20, 2011, at the Wayback Machine April 16, 2011.
  11. ^ "FEMA Disaster Summary for 2011 Texas Wildfires". September 9, 2011.
  12. ^ "Texas Faces Massive Wildfires, Record Drought as Gov. Rick Perry Denies Existence of Global Warming". Democracy Now!. September 8, 2011.
  13. ^ "Storm Events For Wildfires in Texas in 2011". Storm Events Database. National Climatic Data Center. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved June 8, 2013.