Originally published September 8, 2011 at 6:07 AM | Page modified September 8, 2011 at 3:49 PM
Authorities say active flames from a massive Central Texas wildfire are behind containment lines and some residents evacuated from unburned areas can return to their homes.
BASTROP, Texas —
Authorities say active flames from a massive Central Texas wildfire are behind containment lines and some residents evacuated from unburned areas can return to their homes.
Smoldering hot spots remain across the 45 square miles blackened by the massive Bastrop County wildfire. But a spokesman for an interagency team assisting the Texas Forest Service says flames are inside the lines surrounding about 30 percent of the fire area.
Rudy Evenson says Thursday' major concern is wind sparking more flames beyond those boundaries.
Nearly 1,400 homes have been destroyed about 25 miles east of Austin and about 5,000 residents have been forced to leave their homes.
Neighborhoods outside the area where the fire has burned will reopen Thursday. Evenson couldn't immediately say how many of the evacuees live in those neighborhoods.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
Hundreds more homes have been razed by a deadly wildfire burning for days in Central Texas, the most destructive blaze of dozens raging across the parched state, but cooler weather Thursday had officials again hoping firefighters could make further progress.
Nearly 1,400 homes have been destroyed in Bastrop County, about 25 miles east of Austin, up from around 800 the day before, according to the Texas Forest Service. The fire, which forced about 5,000 residents from their homes, remains about 30 percent contained.
"The fire didn't really move last night," Rudy Evenson, an information officer for an interagency team brought in by the forest service, said Thursday morning. "There's still a lot to do."
The National Weather Service said temperatures dipped to near 60 degrees before dawn, but could later peak in the low 90s.
"Our temperature is going to drop down very low, which will increase our firefighting efforts dramatically. We will be able to do a lot of work," Troy Ducheneaux, a regional fire coordinator for the forest service, said Wednesday.
Firefighters still can't use one of their biggest weapons against the blaze: a converted DC-10 jetliner from California capable of dropping 12,000 gallons of fire retardant. It arrived Wednesday in Austin, but won't be used until Friday because authorities need time to assemble the equipment and prepare the retardant, forest service spokeswoman Holly Huffman said.
The fire in and around Bastrop has left at least two people dead, blackened about 45 square miles and cast a haze over the state capitol to the west. One of the two people killed was identified Wednesday as Michael Troy Farr, 49, who died at his home in Smithville.
On Thursday morning, resident Janet Merrill stood close to a map posted at the fire's command center that showed the Bastrop fire's perimeter, trying to pinpoint her street amid what appeared to be a tight cluster of squiggly, unmarked thoroughfares. She burst into tears when she thought she found it inside the fire's pink perimeter, then breathed a sigh of relief upon realizing it was just a couple blocks outside.
"We've been pretty in the clear, but it looks like it's getting close," said Merrill, 43. "It's in God's hands."
Everson confirmed Thursday that fire officials hope to begin pushing back barriers that have prevented residents from checking on their homes, but said there was no timeline for when that would happen. Frustrations have been growing and officials have reported incidents of residents running roadblocks or sneaking down back roads to get into neighborhoods.
The Bastrop area blaze is among more than 170 wildfires the forest service says ignited across Texas this week that have left nearly 1,700 homes in charred ruins, killed four people and forced thousands to evacuate. It's one of the most devastating wildfire outbreaks in Texas history and has made this fire season the costliest on record, with an estimated $216 million in firefighting expenses since late 2010.
Gov. Rick Perry left the state Wednesday to participate in a Republican presidential debate in California. Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, acting governor in Perry's absence, said he would sign a request that the federal government declare Texas a major disaster area.
President Barack Obama told Perry on Wednesday that requests for additional assistance would be quickly assessed. The White House said Obama made clear that the federal government will continue to provide assistance to state and local officials fighting the fire.
A wildfire burning in north-central Anderson County, Texas on September 4th, 2011
Parts of Texas have been scorched by sweeping  this week. Officials state that a wildfire which swept much of central Texas this week destroyed at least 1,400 homes and forced about 5,000 people to evacuate to safety. An official with the  told news sources on Thursday that much of that fire has been contained.

Officials have speculated that this fire alone has destroyed more homes than any other wildfire on record in the state. Officials are welcoming dropping temperatures, stating this will increase their ability to fight the fires effectively. A converted  aircraft was recently made available to fire authorities, but cannot be used until Friday as workers still need to time to prepare on-board equipment.
 
One of the two fatalities in the central part of the state has been identified as Michael Troy Farr, 49, who died at his home. Earlier in the week, a woman and her infant died in a related blaze that quickly engulfed their home located near the city of , located in the eastern part of the state. On Thursday, officials warned that East Texas has become the center of wildfire activity in the state.

At least 170 wildfires have ravaged much of the state over the past week. On Tuesday, a thick haze of smoke enveloped the city of Tyler for several hours, forcing school officials to cancel all outdoor sports activities. Since late 2010 the overall devastation of wildfires in the state is estimated to cost at least  in firefighting expenses. The state's Lieutenant Governor, , who is the acting governor in Governor Perry's absence, indicated he will ask the federal government to declare Texas a major disaster area. President Obama has also promised to provide needed assistance to local officials.