From The Associated Press:

The hardest-hit community during Tuesday’s blazes was Cross Plains, a West Texas ranching and oil-gas town of 1,000 people some 240 kilometres from Dallas. It lost about 50 homes and a church. One person was killed and at least three were unaccounted for after the flames raced through brush dried out by the region’s worst drought in 50 years.

“We had a tornado here years ago and we thought that was devastating. This lasted for hours and hours,” said Patricia Cook, a special education aide whose home was saved by her 18-year-old son, J.D., and a friend. They saw the flames approaching the house from across a field and ran to save it.

“The fire was literally nipping at their heels,” she said. “He just picked up the hose and started watering things down.”

The fire spared a town landmark: the nearly century-old house, now a museum, of Robert E. Howard, author of the Conan the Barbarian books.

Here’s the official Robert E. Howard web site.

Condolences to the families of the dead.

I echo the condolences to those who lost family, property, etc. while at the same time I’m glad nothing happened to the home of Robert E. Howard. I feel bad saying that somehow…incidently it is the 100th anniversary of the birth of Robert E. Howard (1/22/06). Just thought I’d share.