The early September Bastrop wildfire which was the worst in Texas’ history now has a known cause. The Texas Forest Service says the fire most likely had an electrical origin.

That caused a wildfire lasting several days which swept a wide area just east of Austin, starting on Labor Day weekend. The Bastrop County wildfire destroyed more than 1,500 homes, killed two people and blackened over 50 square miles. (more…)

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Beyond fantasy characters such as the Fantastic Four’s Human Torch, no American is impervious to flame, and all face burn injury threats from fires. But only a small percentage of Americans face such threats with one crucial added concern: a handicap that makes them mobility-impaired.

Such was the case for a Houston woman last week when her high-rise apartment building had a fire alarm. The woman, who’s partly paralyzed, was told via alarm that she had to evacuate the building while using stairs, not an elevator. But she knew she couldn’t do that in a motorized wheelchair from her 25th floor residence in Greenway Condominiums.

Fortunately, she entered a hallway where she found a valiant neighbor who carried her down the stairs all the way to the building’s lobby. And fortunately, the fire was confined to a clothes dryer and was quickly extinguished. (more…)

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Burn injuries can be among the most cruel and debilitating of any harm a human can suffer. From emotional scars to disfigurement to excruciating pain to lengthy and arduous rehabilitation, burn injuries not only are severe, but can be severely damaging even to a person’s will to live.

In Houston, fortunately, one woman has made it her crusade to fight back against burn injuries not only with a fierce will to live, but by providing special care and treatment of burn victims. That woman is Justina Page, who responded to a family tragedy in a fire nine years ago to create the Amos House of Faith, which offers support groups and other resources to families who have endured a burn injury. (more…)

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