Texas wildfire smolders; Some escaped by boat

POSSUM KINGDOM LAKE, Texas - Residents of subdivision in a parched North Texas wilderness area didn't hesitate when ordered to flee an advancing wildfire, and dozens who were hemmed in by flames blocking the roads escaped by boat without a single major injury, authorities said Wednesday.

The wildfire that swept through the Possum Kingdom Lake neighborhood on Tuesday — one of several burning in Texas and Oklahoma — destroyed 25 homes and turned the normally lush landscape into a blackened mess. Some streets were virtually untouched, with homes fronted by lawns that could double as putting greens, but others were reduced to rows of scorched stone fireplaces and twisted metal frames.

"It's devastating, of course, and it's going to take a while to get over, but we're going to carry on," Palo Pinto County Sheriff Ira Mercer said.

Only hotspots remained Wednesday in the subdivision, which was the only one in the area not affected by wildfires that roared through the Possum Kingdom Lake area in the spring, scorching hundreds of thousands of acres and destroying 160 homes. The most recent fire had consumed some 5,100 acres of the area, which is about 75 miles west of Fort Worth.

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Mercer said that unlike April, when residents had to be told three or four times before they'd leave the area, those whose homes were threatened Tuesday left as soon as they were told.

Flames blocked the road leading out of the subdivision and hemmed in a group of several dozen residents and law enforcement officers, so they turned back and escaped by boat on Possum Kingdom Lake, Mercer said. It took about six or seven trips, but everyone escaped safely, he said.

Kathy Lanpher, whose home in Gaines Bend burned down in April, told The Fort Worth Star-Telegram that the latest blaze chased her from her new abode, a condo in The Cliffs nearby. Lanpher said she grabbed her dog and laptop, drove to a marina on Possum Kingdom Lake and jumped on a pontoon that took her to safety. She said she was among some 50 residents who decamped to The Harbor Restaurant for the night.

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"We're watching the smoke. We're right around the corner from the fire, so we can't look straight at it," she said. "We're all in good spirits, keeping our fingers crossed and saying our prayers. It's tough to go through this twice in one year."

In Oklahoma City, Deputy Fire Chief Marc Woodard said that a flyover Wednesday showed that a wildfire burned some 3,000 acres and destroyed 21 homes on the city's outskirts. He said four homes appeared to have been damaged but were salvageable.

"We're just kind of in the mop up stages. We'll be here the rest of the afternoon, probably into the night."

One of the people affected by the Oklahoma City wildfire is Pastor J.R. Moore. His church, Harrison Bethel Baptist, was destroyed, CBS affiliate KWTV Oklahoma City reported.

"Sunday after Sunday I tell others about having faith in Jesus. Now I believe it's my time to practice what I'm preaching, to let God work it out, to let God guide us," Moore said. "I know that my faith in Him is strong. So, day by day, we'll just trust Him."

Red Cross spokesman Rust Surette said several hundred homes had been evacuated.

Blowing embers likely started the blaze, which was largely under control by late Tuesday night. Battalion Chief Felton Morgan said.

But Fire Chief Keith Bryant voiced concerns that the fire could re-ignite.

"The conditions are similar to what they were yesterday," he said early Wednesday. "The winds are going to get up, they're already gusting. That'll be our concern on the fires that are still smoldering."

Late Tuesday, bursts of flame rose and thick black smoke engulfed the area as oil-packed cedar trees ignited, giving gawkers a stunning view from several blocks away. Utility poles lit up like matchsticks, and power was out to more than 7,000 homes and businesses.

Emergency Medical Services Authority spokeswoman Lara O'Leary said four people, including two firefighters, were treated for minor injuries in the Oklahoma City blaze. John Nichols, a spokesman for the Texas Forest Service, said at least three people were slightly hurt, including two firefighters fighting the blaze in the Possum Kingdom Lake area.

A group of several dozen residents and law enforcement officers were blocked from evacuating the Possum Kingdom Lake subdivision and had to turn back toward the lake and escape by boat, Mercer said. It took about six or seven trips, but everyone escaped safely, he said.

Temperatures reached 106 degrees in the area Tuesday afternoon with winds gusting up to 28 mph, said National Weather Service meteorologist Jason Dunn. By nightfall, gusts were at about 20 mph and the temperature was around 99.

Cloud cover expected to move in overnight could help keep the winds around 10 mph, though winds as strong as 20 mph and were expected by afternoon and temperatures again could climb into the triple-digits, Dunn said.

"When you get just a little bit of wind in these dry conditions, it just doesn't take anything to get a fire started," Nichols said.