Nearly 2,000 Homes Destroyed in Texas Since Labor Day Weekend

The Texas Forest Service reports that an estimated 1,939 homes have been destroyed in the state by wildfires since the Labor Day weekend.

The insured losses from the Bastrop County Complex fires alone could reach $150 million, according to the Texas Insurance Council.

The massive Bastrop County Complex fire was one of a rash of wildfires that broke out across drought-stricken Texas in early September. Officials expect the damage statistics to rise as the blazes in Bastrop and other areas of the state continue to be extinguished.

The insured losses from all of the Texas fires for one week starting with the Labor Day weekend could hit $250 million, the ICT said.

Firefighters responded to 181 wild fires in Texas during this period of time.

The ICT noted that the estimate of the total insured losses from the recent wildfires in the state could vary as more information comes in.

With the Bastrop County Complex fire 60 percent contained, the Texas Forest Service on Sept. 11 laid out a plan to let area residents begin surveying what was left of their properties. The blaze, which began on Sept. 4, has charred more than 34,000 acres. It is said to the largest single wildfire in Texas history.

Re-entry into the fire swept Bastrop County neighborhoods began on Sept. 12 for specified subdivisions.

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Topics Texas Wildfire Homeowners