Just returned from an afternoon at the Bastrop Fire Incident Command Center. I wasn’t allowed to go into the fire zone but spent a lot of time talking to people who had lost their homes and volunteer staff manning the center.
The quote of the day was from a teary-eyed woman volunteering; she had receive word on her house but was comforting those who had lost everything.
“We may be burned down but we’re not burned out.”
That’s the spirit. The resident I spoke to were was an interesting mix of younger couples – concerned about family pets and the school schedule – and older, stoic couples. I rounded more than one corner to find a grandmother in tears, tired of putting up a stoic front. As one elderly lady said from underneath her dirty sun hat, “I’m tired, honey. Just tired.”
Here’s a series of the images from today; I also shot some experimental video with the iPhone and will post that soon.
A man reacts emotionally to more fire crews rushing past as he walks through downtown Bastrop, Texas.
A family reacts as they receive news of their home.
A sign at a makeshift donation center in Bastrop, Texas.
Residents gather around the 'Structures Lost' board with bated breath.
Water is donated for the firefighters.
Gatorade donated for the firefighters battling the heat and the blaze.
Bastrop Fire crew briefing map for 7 September, 2011.
The actual command center was well protected; each time I drew near the doors men stepped forward to escort me away.
The List: Structures Lost
Official Bastrop Fire incident objectives.
Tags: News
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Some of the more personal photographs I have seen come out of this disaster – quite a different point of view than the AP shooters and it is refreshing. Who are you stringing for down there?
We are battling the fires here in California too. Too fucking dry.
Heartwrenching, amazing images. You have an eye for exactly what is most important. You are my photography hero! Thanks for being there and bringing these images to us.