The number of homes destroyed by a still-raging wildfire in Texas increased yesterday to 1,554 and will increase further as emergency crews enter areas where the blaze has been extinguished.
17 people remain unaccounted for, but officials believe they could simply be out of town.
Bastrop County officials joined by Democratic US Representative Lloyd Doggett sought to provide new information to hundreds of residents evacuated a week ago, when blustering wind whipped up by Tropical Storm Lee swept across parched, drought-stricken Texas — helping to spark more than 190 wildfires statewide that killed four people.
The worst of the fires is the one in Bastrop that has consumed more than 34,000 acres.
Crews have now contained more than 50 per cent of the blaze, paving the way for people to begin returning home and trying to rebuild their lives from the remains of the smouldering rubble.
Many who were forced to evacuate still don't know what became of their homes.
Today, county officials will begin allowing them to slowly re-enter scorched areas as authorities ensure the land has properly cooled and hotspots are extinguished. Some were given only minutes to evacuate as the raging blaze surrounded homes and neighbourhoods. Some had time to gather a few important belongings, others fled with only the clothes on their back.
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