Officials: 1,000 Texas homes burned in past week:
More than 1,000 homes have been destroyed in at least 57 wildfires across rain-starved Texas, most of them in one devastating blaze near Austin that is still raging out of control, officials said Tuesday. Ref. Source 3
Texas cut fire department funding by 75 percent this year:
Under Gov. Rick Perry ® this year, Texas slashed state funding for the volunteer fire departments that protect most of the state from wildfires like the ones that have recently destroyed more than 700 homes. Ref. Source 1
One firefighter still hospitalised from deadly fire
One Houston firefighter remained hospitalized in critical condition today, a day after a massive motel and restaurant fire killed four of his fellow firefighters. Ref. Source 4