By Bill Zeeble, KERA News
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kera/local-kera-830924.mp3
Dallas, TX – With much calmer winds today, the deadly wildfires that claimed 3 yesterday in Montague County diminished enough for firefighters to catch their breath. Governor Rick Perry has requested an Emergency Declaration from FEMA that could help 199 counties.
Those rapidly spreading blazes took the lives of retired Channel 8 reporter Matt Quinn and his wife Cathy, who lived in rural Montague County. Elsewhere, the Montague County sheriff says a woman died apparently of a heart attack. Nearby, in the small town of Sunset, volunteer fire fighters were busy fighting those and other fires Thursday when chief Alan Campbell heard flames were across the street from his station.
Alan Campbell sunset volunteer fire department chief.
Campbell: Yesterday was pretty rough, 60-70mph winds, when we found out we had a fire, got back here, and just couldn't fight the fire. Only thing we had to do was protect as much structures as we could.
Campbell says in his 21 years here, this was the worst fire he had ever seen. His station was undamaged. But across the street a few hundred ft away, neighbor Gary Raper wasn't so lucky. The only thing left of his small home is the scorched stone shed. Everything else is smoldering ash.
Raper: There's not much to salvage
Raper threw his family of 6 plus the dogs into the car and safely evacuated. He threw the cats out the house window to fend for themselves.
Raper: I wouldn't he surprised if they went back in the house when the fire started getting too close.
Raper hopes to rebuild on the spot, counting on FEMA for help, if the area's declared a disaster.