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    Heartbreaking Scenes

    Gawkers a problem at Texas wildfires: "Utter devastation" of forest turnedmoonscape draws onlookers

    Kevin Benz
    Sep 9, 2011 | 10:54 am
    • Gawkers are venturing into the burned out land to see it for themselves,creating problems for firefighters.
      Photo by Doug Shupe
    • The Texas wildfires are anything but finished.

    As firefighters walked into the moonscape that used to be 38,000 beautiful acres of Bastrop, they found damage far more extensive than first believed. More than 1,386 homes burned in the Bastrop wildfires outside of Austin, and officials say they are still counting.

    "Utter devastation. It's heartbreaking to me as fire chief that on my watch, we lost this many homes," Bastrop Fire Chief Henry Perry told KXAN, Austin's NBC affiliate. "Can't explain it."

    It's a wildfire that is still only about 30 percent contained. If there is any good news to be gleaned from all the devastation, it is that no more lives were lost.

    That will not be of much comfort to the families of the two people killed by the wildfire. Michael Farr, a 48-year-old City of Austin employee, reportedly went back to his house after being evacuated. His body was found outside that home. One other unidentified person, unrelated to Farr, also died.

    Bastrop County Judge Ronnie McDonald has asked for patience from weary, displaced residents. "The most important thing we're fighting here is fighting to save lives. Respect your law enforcement. Respect your firefighters. Let them go in and do their job."

    In Steiner Ranch, west of Austin, residents tried to return to some semblance of normal. School busses picked children up on the corner, parents went back to work, the Steiner Ranch Steakhouse opened. Still, normal is dependent upon your perspective. Fifty four families came back to damaged or destroyed homes. Firefighters were able to save more than 300 homes.

    “We were really fortunate we could save as many as we did. We really wish we could have saved them all, we really do, it just didn’t happen,” Lake Travis Fire Chief Jim Lindardos told KXAN.

    They also returned to a community eager to help. Volunteers drove up and down streets offering food and cleaning supplies.

    The Moonglow fire in Leander, northwest of Austin, is now down to a few hot spots. Arson is to blame, and police are looking for four teenagers — two boys and two girls seen running from where the fire began near the Mason Creek subdivision. That teenage game resulted in the loss of 11 homes, with eight more damaged.

    This video shows aerial footage of the fire spreading across Leander.

    Thirty four homes burned in Spicewood, located in far western Travis County. That fire is completely contained and evacuated residents began returning to find whether they still had a home to live in.

    As residents returned home, gawkers descended upon the scene of the fires, slowing their vehicles along busy streets, pulling over to park and take pictures and generally making embarrassing pests of themselves by getting in the way. Firefighters and police ask people to get over their voyeuristic desires and leave them to do their work. These fires are not yet extinguished.

    To make matters worse, at least one firefighter witnessed a gawker flicking a cigarette butt onto the ground, an unfathomable gesture of stupidity (hot cigarette ashes start fire).

    Donation drives and fundraisers are plentiful. If you would like to help in an easy way, donate cash. The American Red Cross can use it to buy exactly what is needed much cheaper than you can.

    unspecified
    news/city-life

    This Week's Hot Headlines

    Casual River Oaks restaurant closure leads our top stories this week

    CultureMap Staff
    Jun 21, 2025 | 11:01 am
    Eloise Nichols interior
    Photo by Alex Montoya
    Eloise Nichols has updated its interior.

    Editor's note: It's time to look back at the top Houston news of the week, which is full of restaurant and bar tidbits. Two Houston-area chefs get big victories, while a River Oaks restaurant says goodbye. Get the details on our most popular stories below, then visit this guide for some weekend fun.

    1. Casual River Oaks restaurant will shutter after 10 years. A neighborhood restaurant near River Oaks will soon serve its last meal — for now. Eloise Nichols is set to close after service on Sunday, June 29.

    2. Houston chef Tristen Epps dishes on his Top Chef victory — and what's next. For the first time, Houston is home to a Top Chef winner. In the final episode of season 22, chef Tristen Epps earned the title and a $250,000 cash prize.

    3. Intimate Houston cocktail lounge adds European-inspired outdoor patio. There’s a new al fresco destination for Houstonians this summer. Clarkwood, the chic cocktail bar in Montrose, has expanded with a 1,500-square-foot courtyard bar.

    4. Innovative Houston chef is the city's newest James Beard Award winner. Thomas Bille, chef-owner of Belly of the Beast in Spring, was named Best Chef: Texas at the 2025 James Beard Awards ceremony.

    James Beard Awards 2025 Thomas Bille Belly of the BeastThomas Bille is Houston's newest James Beard Award winner. Photo by Getty Images for James Beard Foundation

    5. Houston farmers market adds new indoor pickleball court with food and cocktails. The newest player in the city’s crowded pickleball court is Drop Shots HTX, opening today, June 21.

    most popular storiesclosingspickleballjames beard awardstop chefhot-headlines
    news/city-life
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