Texas is on fire!

Texas is on fire!  All over central Texas wildfires have started.  For those of you who follow this blog from other parts of the world, I have included some pictures so you can see what central Texas has looked like the past few days.  Those who live here, know.  All you have to do is look up in the sky to see smoke in several different directions.  As I write this, most of the fires are being contained since the winds have died down; however, with no rain in the forecast, we are all still very much in danger.

(These are not my photos.  I took them off of news websites.)

Jim and I drove to our hometown, La Grange, on Sunday.  We were planning on going to the Fayette County Fair, but our plans quickly changed.  As we drove through Bastrop (pictured above), we noticed huge smoke clouds.  The sky was covered in smoke.  

When we got to La Grange, we found out that wildfires were spreading in Fayette county too.  One large fire was threatening the home of Jim's aunt and uncle's house.  We drove over there to help unload their house.  Several family members had already come over to pack up their belongings.  As we made trip after trip carrying boxes to our vehicles, the fire continued to creep its way closer.  They live on a farm, and as far as you looked into the distance, all you saw was burnt pastures and a lot of smoke.  Finally, the fire department made their way out there (they were busy with other fires), and the fire was contained.  Unfortunately, the fire had already claimed the old Citzler house.  The house had been in the family for several generations.  Jim's grandma's grandparents lived there.  This is all that is left.

In Bastrop, 36,000 acres have burned, and 575 homes have been destroyed.  In the Austin area, over 300 homes have burned.  It is devastating.  We need rain desperately, and lots of it!  Please pray for rain in Texas.