Wildfires that have burned more than 4,200 acres in Central Texas and imperiled hundreds of homes threatened to grow Thursday in parched forestland that is still recovering from massive deadly blazes in 2011. [[333045271,R]]
The fire is currently only 15 percent contained and overnight remained stronger than expected, fueled by hot weather and gusty, shifting winds. The Forest Service had estimated 50 percent containment earlier Wednesday, but challenging topography and uncontrolled fire lines slashed the containment.
Officials believe that almost three dozen homes have been lost already, and residents in about 400 homes have been advised to evacuate since the fire began Tuesday.
Crews fighting the wildfire will have new help from the air Friday, as the Texas A&M Forest Service called in a DC-10 jet tanker that can drop close to 12,000 gallons of retardant at a time. Bastrop County officials hope the arrival of a cool front will also help slow the advance of the fire.
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During a briefing Thursday, Gov. Greg Abbott announcing he'd declared a state of emergency for all Texas wildfires after taking a tour of the Bastrop County area earlier in the morning. The Hidden Pines Fire is burning in an area east of Bastrop State Park, north of Smithville and Buescher State Park and west of Luecke Farm.
"We grieve for the families and the homeowners who are displaced by this," said Gov. Greg Abbott, who declared a state of disaster for the county and authorized unspecified extra state resources to fight the fire. "This has to be an echo of a nightmare that they faced just a few years ago."
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A day before, the governor issued a disaster declaration for the area, known for its thick spread of pine and elm trees and a winding, hilly landscape.
Members of the Dallas Fire-Rescue's Wildland Urban Interface Team have been requested to assist with the Hidden Pines Fire and will deploy at noon Thursday for Bastrop. Wednesday night, firefighters from Fort Worth, Arlington and Southlake left for Bastrop County with brush trucks, spare parts and other supplies as part of the Texas Intrastate Fire Mutual Aid System.
Evacuees in Bastrop County drove to the border of evacuation zones on Thursday hoping their homes were still standing.
Many residents were turned away due to the imminent danger from the Hidden Pines Fire.
Early Wednesday, that fire was believed to have only charred 375 acres, but after an aerial survey was conducted, that estimate quadrupled. The fire is estimated to have burned more than 2,000 acres by late Wednesday night. As of Thursday evening, the Hidden Pines fire was 25-percent contained, officials said.
"It looked like they had it taken care of and by 10 a.m. on Wednesday, we could tell they had no chance of stopping it," said evacuee Mike Haley. "We didn't give ourselves much of a chance, so we expected the worse at this point."
Haley and his wife, Jane, returned home. Their ranch sits outside the mandatory evacuation zone.
"I think the hardest part was being out and not knowing," said Jane Haley. "I have scabby knees from praying, but praise God my house is here."
Hundreds of homes remain under evacuation orders in Bastrop County. Most evacuees are staying with friends or family while about a dozen families are at an evacuation shelter in Smithville.
Meanwhile, reports of the smell of smoke in the Metroplex Thursday are being attributed to the massive wildfire.
Forest Service spokeswoman Jessica Jackson said fire retardant dropped from aircraft helped save the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center's Science Park Wednesday.
She had no details on how many people evacuated, as a precaution, after the fire broke out Tuesday. Jackson said firefighters saved at least nine homes but more than 150 remain threatened.
The Texas Parks & Wildlife Department closed Buescher State Park on Wednesday because of the fire. The park will remain closed through Sunday.
Bastrop County, 30 miles east of Austin, has had low humidity and sparse rainfall. Forecasters predict highs in the 90s with gusts of up to 10 mph through Friday.
The fire is a stark reminder of how dangerous these fires can be in this part of the state. In 2011, a wildfire in Bastrop destroyed nearly 1,700 homes and burned 33,000 acres.
NBC 5's Chris Jose and The Associated Press' Paul J. Weber contributed to this report.
