"Firefighters gained ground Wednesday against one of the most destructive wildfires in Texas history even as the state said the number of homes lost reached almost 800, and an elite search team set out to find any victims in the smoking ruins."
"Gov. Rick Perry, meanwhile, resumed his presidential campaign after rushing home over the weekend to deal with the crisis, traveling to California to meet his Republican rivals in his first nationally televised debate.
The blaze has left at least two people dead, blackened about 45 square miles around Bastrop and cast a haze over Austin, 25 miles to the west, where the air smelled strongly of pine and cedar.
Firefighters reported that the flames were at least 30 percent contained after burning uncontrolled for three days. They credited an easing of the winds from Tropical Storm Lee that had caused the fire to explode over the weekend. Nevertheless, the number of homes that the Texas Forest Service reported destroyed rose from around 600 the day before."
April Castro reports for the Associated Press September 7, 2011.
SEE ALSO:
"Texas Fire Agencies Fight Red Ink From State Budget Cuts as They Battle Blazes" (Dallas Morning News)
"Texas Pleads for Help as Fires Sear State" (Los Angeles Times)
"Obama Calls Perry To Express Concern Over Texas Wildfires" (Dallas Morning News)
"A Hidden Factor Behind Losses in Texas Fires" (Dot Earth)
"Obama Calls Gov. Perry About Texas Wildfires" (Wall St. Journal)
"More Resources Brought in To Fight East Texas Fire" (KTBS)
"Central Texas Fire Sets Record for Homes Lost" (AP)
"Amid Optimism, 19 New Fires Spring Up in Texas" (CBS News)
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