REH's house still standing

GregLynch

Mongoose
Hello all,

Just thought I'd let everyone know REH's house was not caught in the wildfires that have been burning here in Texas.

High temperatures (for this time of year, anyway), high winds and a near-record drought have turned north-central Texas into a tinderbox. The fires hit Cross Plains hard, burning about 50 or so houses, businesses and so forth. Though I feel terrible for those poor people who did lose their homes, I'm relieved that at least REH's house was not likewise destroyed.
 
You talk as if you experience summer heat in Texas while we are in December.
What time do you have in July?
 
Like I said, warm for this time of year. It's been in the 80s the last few days. Usually (as much as one can say 'usually' about Texas weather) it would be about 30 or 35.

As for July, well, a good guess would be 100 to 110.
 
Witchsmeller said:
Don't forget we are also behind 15" of rain for the year.

How can I? I'm starting to think rain is just an urban legend.

I see you live in FW. I miss that place - went to college there.
 
I was driving east on I-10 between Houston and Beaumont when we cam across a brush fire on the south side of the freeway.

We could see the smoke for miles and when we drove by it we were so close it wa surreal. And there was so much smoke over a mile long and who knows wide.

Mind you the whole area was not ablaze in huge conflagration but there were too numerous fires to count in the fields as we passed.

I remember saying how lucky we were the wind was blowing south because it would have obscured vision severally from all the smoke.

When I got home I saw on a new site that Cross Plains had trouble too and worse!! I immediatly thought of the REH house.
Thanks for the report Greg.

First time I had seen a brush fire up close.
 
GregLynch said:
Hello all,

Just thought I'd let everyone know REH's house was not caught in the wildfires that have been burning here in Texas.

High temperatures (for this time of year, anyway), high winds and a near-record drought have turned north-central Texas into a tinderbox. The fires hit Cross Plains hard, burning about 50 or so houses, businesses and so forth. Though I feel terrible for those poor people who did lose their homes, I'm relieved that at least REH's house was not likewise destroyed.


Man, I'd heard news reports about fires in Texas and Oklahoma, but didnt even consider whether or not Cross Plains had been hit... here's the press write-up on this...

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20051229/D8EPSRG81.html

Wildfires Char 100 Homes in Okla., Texas

CROSS PLAINS, Texas (AP) - Linda and Kenneth Dixson recently turned down an offer to buy their quaint renovated farmhouse, deciding instead to stay put and fill it with new furniture. But after wildfires charred more than 100 homes and killed at least five people in Texas and Oklahoma, the Dixsons inspected the only thing left of their dream home: a charred, smoldering heap.

"We didn't take any clothes, and now it's all gone," Kenneth Dixson said Wednesday night while eating at First Baptist Church, where the American Red Cross set up a shelter. "I didn't want to go back out there today. I just didn't want to see it again."

Severe drought, wind gusts of 40 mph and temperatures reaching the low 80s set the stage for the fires in Texas and Oklahoma, which authorities believe were mostly set by people ignoring fire bans and burning trash, shooting fireworks or throwing out cigarettes.

The flames ripped across nearly 20,000 acres in the two states. At least 73 blazes were reported in Texas over two days, and dozens more broke out in Oklahoma.

Cross Plains, a working-class town about 115 miles west of Fort Worth, was one of the hardest-hit communities, losing about 50 homes and a church. Remnants of several of the burned-out Cross Plains houses still smoldered Wednesday evening, blanketing the air with a smoky haze and burning odor.

Two elderly women died after being trapped in their homes by the fire, said Cross Plains Fire Chief Bob Harrell.

One was Mattie Faye Wilson, 67, who taught several generations of Cross Plains first-graders before her retirement, said Debbie Gosnell, a city administrator. "She was a really sweet woman," Gosnell said.

Another victim was Maudie Sheppard, a bedridden 89-year-old living with her son. He wasn't home when the fire swept through, neighbors said, but by the time he rushed home to try and save her, it was too late.

The grass fires destroyed more than 100 buildings across Texas, including 78 homes, the state emergency management agency said. About 50 homes were destroyed in Oklahoma, authorities said.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry planned to survey the Cross Plains damage by air Thursday. Oklahoma Gov. Brad Henry said Wednesday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency had approved the state's request for federal assistance tied to fighting the fires.

This year has been the fifth driest year on record for north and central Texas, where most of the fires occurred. The annual rainfall in the Dallas-Fort Worth area is about 16 inches less than the average of about 35 inches. Oklahoma has received about 24 inches of rain this year, about 12 inches less than normal.

Some residents of Mustang, just west of Oklahoma City, returned to their homes Wednesday to pick through what remained. Five homes were destroyed as the fire raced across 400 acres.

Pat Hankins watched as friends and family members pulled partially destroyed items from his home and put them on the lawn. Inside, heaps of blackened insulation lay on top of a bed in a back bedroom lit by sunlight that poured through holes in the ceiling.

"We were planning on dying here," said Hankins, 62, of the home he has shared with his wife for 13 years. "We loved this piece of property. Whether we'll rebuild, I just don't know."

Another eight homes were lost in a fast-moving grass fire in Choctaw, east of Oklahoma City. Among those destroyed was the home of Kenneth Franks, who had lived there since 1976.

The fire ripped through with such intensity that the aluminum cylinder heads of his wife's car melted into a pool that later hardened in front of the car. The dashboard dissolved around what was left of the steering wheel.

"When me and my wife got married 23 years ago, we had this house and a couple of cars," Kenneth Franks said. "We have less now than we did then."

---

Associated Press writers Sheila Flynn in Cross Plains, Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City, and Tim Talley in Mustang, Okla., contributed to this report.
 
From: "Rusty Burke"

> Okay, I've talked to a nice lady at the Texas Heritage Bank.
> Donations can be sent to:
>
> City of Cross Plains Fire Relief Fund
> c/o Texas Heritage Bank
> PO Box 699
> Cross Plains, TX 76443
>
> They can only accept cash and checks. Indy has set up a PayPal
> account but it won't be activated until early next week, so those of
> you who want to donate via PayPal (which also, of course, enables you
> to use a credit card) will have to wait until then. We'll be posting
> information at the REHupa website.
>
> If you'd like them to know that the contribution is coming from an REH
> fan, you could just add a little note.
>
> According to the Abilene Reporter-News website, at last count 116
> homes had been completely destroyed, and 36 others damaged. In a town
> of about 1000 people, that is a lot of destruction! The pictures are
> just horrifying. I'm told that smoke still lingers, and that
> conditions are not improved so there is still some danger of more fires.
>
> I hope that you will donate whatever you can, no matter how seemingly
> insignificant, to the relief efforts. Every little bit helps. And
> PLEASE -- spread this appeal to other REH fans! The needs are urgent
> and immediate.
>
> Rusty
 
Here's an updated message from Rusty.

Terry

> You may have heard or seen on the news that Robert E. Howard's home
> town, Cross Plains, Texas, was devastated by wildfires. There is
> still some fire danger as I write. Over 7700 acres were burned, and
> the latest count is that 116 homes were destroyed in and near the town
> and about 36 damaged. In a town of just over 1000 people, that's a lot
> of destruction! The Robert E. Howard House was undamaged (though
> undoubtedly there will be some smoke residue to deal with), but it is
> the needs of the people who were left homeless that we must concern
> ourselves with. Most of the major online news sources have carried
> the story. For local coverage, you can try
>
> Abilene Reporter-News (requires registration): http://reporter-news.com/
>
>
> A relief fund has been set up at the Texas Heritage Bank. Donations
> can be sent to:
>
> City of Cross Plains Fire Relief Fund
> c/o Texas Heritage Bank
> PO Box 699
> Cross Plains, TX 76443
>
> They can only accept cash and checks. Bill Cavalier, Official Editor
> of the Robert E Howard United Press Association (REHupa) has set up a
> PayPal account to accept donations but it won't be activated until
> early next week, so those of you who want to donate via PayPal (which
> also, of course, enables you to use a credit card) will have to wait
> until then. We'll be posting information at the REHupa website,
> www.rehupa.com.
>
> If you'd like them to know that the contribution is coming from an REH
> fan, you could just add a little note, or else you can send your
> donation to Bill for inclusion with those of other REH fans.
>
> You can also donate to the Red Cross: they do accept credit cards if
> you call them at (325) 677-2622.
>
> I hope that you will donate whatever you can, no matter how seemingly
> insignificant, to the relief efforts. Every little bit helps. And
> PLEASE -- spread this appeal to other REH fans! The needs are urgent
> and immediate. And, unfortunately, the weather conditions have not
> changed, so the danger of fire continues, at least through the weekend.
>
> Rusty
 
GregLynch said:
Like I said, warm for this time of year. It's been in the 80s the last few days. Usually (as much as one can say 'usually' about Texas weather) it would be about 30 or 35.

As for July, well, a good guess would be 100 to 110.
the world is going mad
 
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