'Captured: Texas Wildfires'

[Panther_99FS]

No rain where I'm at in about 3 months....
--> http://blogs.denverpost.com/captured/2011/04/22/captured-texas-wildfires/4403/

[Daveroo]

devistating.....and all that white ash shows how hot it really was...througho clean burn makes that white total burn ash...hope they get better weather conditions and can get a handle on those fires soon....

[EasyEd]

Hey All,

Number 5 and number 30 - awesome photos. Number 30 clearly shows Texas needs to grow more cactus - it don't burn too good.

With respect to the loss of homes and property it is sad whether in CA or TX. That said I have to wonder if these homes and neighborhoods were prepared for fire? They are not in CA. The point being you pay your money you take your chances but a smart gambler is going to hedge his bets. How many of these property owners hedged their bets against fire versus saying it won't happen to us?

I'm no expert on the history of drought in TX but I do know there were at least major droughts in the 30s and the early 50s and probably more than that. Do the insurance companies take this into account? Do the urban planners plan for 50 year drought/fire events? In general does human hubris even allow for the superior power of nature or is it about short term cash gain or avoidance of immediate cash expenditure? Until humans fundamentally learn to look beyond the immediacy of today AND learn that cash in hand today is NOT king these things will go on and on - however we'll get great photography and lots of tugs at heartstrings as a result.

From a wildfire management specialist in BC.

-Ed-

[Tom Clayton]

I have family in the TX Panhandle, so I sorry when I hear things like this.

[alain95]

Are this fires autogenerated or are there from human negligence ?
35912

[stansdds]

Good golly! Total devastation.