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a26 obituario/u.s. news
Diasabra 19 Maart 2022

Texas wildfires fueled by gusty winds prompt

evacuations

Texas faces an elevated fire risk
due to gusty winds and drought
conditions. The weather service
urged residents to check for lo-
cal burn bans and use caution
with anything that could start a
grass fire.
"We had a fairly dry summer last
year and that continued into the
fall and winter," said National
Weather Service meteorologist
Madison Gordon. With winter
passing, "we now have a lot of
fuel available in fields."
A Baptist church in downtown
Ranger, Texas, about 85 miles
(140 kilometers) west of Fort
Worth, was destroyed Thurs-
day when flames engulfed the
103-year-old building. The po-
lice department and other his-
toric buildings were also burned,
(AP) – Fire crews in Central the weekend under extreme fire Dallas TV station WFAA report-
Texas struggled Friday to risk because of drought condi- ed.
contain massive, windswept tions. Roy Rodgers, a deacon at Second
wildfires that burned homes, Baptist Church, said the third
destroyed a church and left a Several months of dry, windy floor and roof collapsed and the
sheriff's deputy dead. weather have fueled deadly wild- rest of the building had exten-
fires in Kansas and Oklahoma, sive smoke and water damage.
Strengthened by drought condi- including one a few weeks ago. Rodgers said the church plans
tions, the fires merged to form In remote, western Nebraska to hold its next Sunday service
what officials call a "complex" ranching country, a large wild- in a parking lot across the street,
that was burning near Eastland, fire has been burning for several where the congregation will de-
about 120 miles (195 kilome- days. Meteorologists said they cide what to do.
ters) west of Dallas. Hundreds were hopeful that rain showers
of homes were evacuated in expected early next week across "It's heartbreaking," said Rod-
smaller communities. the Plains would reduce the risk. gers, a church member since
1969. "A lot of people are tak-
Officials in Eastland County "We've been so dry that even an ing it pretty hard because a lot of
reported the death of a sheriff's inch of rain would make a dif- people have ties to the church."
deputy, Barbara Fenley, who ference," said Robb Lawson, a
they said was trying to save peo- National Weather Service me- The fire, which was fueled by
ple from the fires. It's unclear teorologist in Wichita, Kansas. high winds, may have started
how or when she died. No other from a barbecue pit, Ranger Fire
“Dios ta amor... y amor ta Dios, casualties have been reported. Smaller fires were burning in Department Chief Darrell Fox
maske mi no ta na e mundo aki, tur dia lo mi other parts of Texas, and Thurs- said.
ta banda di boso Curazon, mi por stens di loke As of Friday afternoon, the fires day's low humidity and high
Señor ta hasi” had burned about 70.9 square winds created an ideal scenario "We had everything ready
Salmo 33 miles (184 square kilometers), for the blazes to quickly grow throughout the county," Fox
according to Texas A&M For- out of control. Texas A&M said. "But when we have the
Ta participa fayecimento di: est Service. It was only 4% con- Forest Service had warned of a winds like there was ... and the
tained and fires were burning in wildfire outbreak this week be- humidity down to nothing, this
thick brush and grass fields. cause of the forecast. is what you're going to get."
A nursing home in Rising Star
About 18,000 people live in was evacuated and residents The fires caused hazy conditions
Eastland County. About 475 were taken to a community cen- hundreds of miles away, with
homes were evacuated in the ter, Eastland County Today re- the Houston Fire Department
town of Gorman, but officials ported. and the city's Office of Emer-
don't yet know how many struc- gency Management on Friday
tures may have burned, said The National Weather Service in morning sending out automated
Matthew Ford, spokesman for Fort Worth warned Friday that phone messages alerting area
Texas A&M Forest Service. much of western and central residents to smoke and ash.

"Until we get more boots on the
ground, we don't have an esti-
mate" of the numbers, Ford said
Friday morning. "Our top prior-
ity is life, safety and protection
of structures."

Sr. Gabriel A. Werleman The forest service warned that
Mihor conoci como “Ale” the "rare, high impact wildfire
*27-02-1936 - †16-03-2022 phenomenon" could also affect
parts of Oklahoma and Kansas.
Acto di entiero lo wordo anuncia despues Nebraska's forest service said
most of the state would spend