Bastrop County is soliciting help from the public as they collect video, photos, and personal testimonies related to the fires earlier this month. Mike Fisher from the Bastrop County Office of Emergency Management says, "While everything is still fresh in our minds, we want to document exactly what happened. We hope to create a complete and accurate record of the wildfires that began on September 4, 2011, for future generations. We also aim for this record to serve as a case study for our local emergency responders and for other departments that may face similar disasters in the future." Photos and testimonies may be submitted via the Bastrop County Wildfire Historical Project Facebook Page, and video to the Project's Vimeo group. more ›

Hopdoddy Burger Bar on South Congress wants to raise as much money as possible today, Sept. 20, to help victims of the devastating fires in Bastrop. They are donating 100% of their sales all day long today, so head over for lunch, dinner, or both. more ›

Please welcome new news writer Chris Galis. -- ed. Earlier this week, residents of badly hit neighborhoods in Bastrop, such as Tahitian Village, were allowed to return to their homes and take inventory of the damage for the first time since their evacuation. The worst fire season in Texas history has caused upwards of 250 million dollars of damage across Central Texas. 150 million dollars of damages occurred in Bastrop alone. Reports are coming in today that the Bastrop area fire is now 80% contained. more ›

A group of businesses on East Sixth street are banding together to raise money for the victims of the Bastrop wildfire. more ›

Management at The Salt Lick are working to feed volunteers, displaced residents, and aid workers in the Bastrop area. The restaurant sent 1,000 meals to Bastrop yesterday to assist with wildfire relief, and will send an additional 1,000 meals today. They've issued a call for help, though - when delivering the meals, they were told that Gatorade and water were badly needed to help with hydration. If you'd like to contribute a beverage to go with these meals, The Salt Lick is accepting Gatorade and water donations at either of their restaurants or at a Central Austin residential drop-off at 1604 Nickerson St. For more information, call 512-858-4959. more ›

On the campaign trail so far, Gov. Rick Perry has been openly hostile to the federal government and the role it plays in support of American citizens and the states in which we live. But when the wildfires began destroying homes in Bastrop county this week, it was the government that Texas citizens turned to, not a corporation. more ›

Unsurprisingly, it didn't take much for this great city to come together to extend a helping hand to those who have suffered as a result of the wildfires. Here's a list of what's going on. more ›

Officials have released the name of one of the wildfire fatalities discovered yesterday: City of Austin employee Michael Troy Farr, 48, was at his home in Smithville when the fire hit. Mayor Leffingwell said in a statement, "I am deeply saddened to hear of the death of a City of Austin employee. Our sympathies go out to the friends and family of Troy Farr." The name of the other fatality has not yet been released. more ›

Last night at Austin-Bergstrom Airport the largest jet air tanker currently in fire service arrived to assist the fires in Bastrop. Known as 10 Tanker, this modified Douglas DC-10 can drop 12,000 gallons of water of fire retardent in 5 seconds and will hopefully give the firefighters on the ground an advantage in containing the fire. As of this morning 30% of the fire in Bastrop was contained. Watch the video below to see them in action in California in 2008 and follow them on Twitter to keep up to date with their progress. more ›

- Atlantic Monthly has a gallery up today. - The Statesman. - KXAN. - Boing Boing. more ›

Though it was first reported that the Steiner Ranch fire was started by downed power lines, officials are saying today that that cause has been ruled out. An investigation around what truly started the fires is ongoing. The evacuees are currently on their way back to their homes with identification. According to YNN, the fire is "45 percent contained with 24 homes destroyed and 30 damaged. It has spread to 125 acres." Governor Perry held a press conference yesterday from Steiner Ranch, and took the opportunity to blame the federal bureaucracy. “One of the problems that we’ve historically had when we’re making requests for federal assets, and I’m talking about [the Department of Defense] in particular, is there’s just a lot of bureaucracy there," he said. He also made it clear that he wanted to borrow equipment from Ft. Hood to help with the aftermath as well as fire lines. more ›

KXAN reported that a sizable alligator was found dead by some onlookers who shared photos of the giant lizard in Bastrop. Game Warden Frederick R. Ensinger followed a tip to Facebook where he learned that the alligator was on the bank of Wilbarger Creek, apparently killed, not dead of natural causes. Ensinger reports that he has individuals in mind he'd like to question, but that "It kind of depends on circumstances" in terms of filing charges. more ›

About twenty to twenty-five people were smuggled into Texas through Mexico and held captive in Bastrop County, a man who escaped from his captors yesterday told authorities. When ICE and Bastrop County SWAT arrived on the scene (a single-wide trailer near Dale) yesterday evening, most of the hostages had been moved from the location. There were reports of some female hostages being sexually assaulted and of the three kidnappers keeping water and food from their hostages. Two of the three men in charge of the operation were arrested; Juan Carlos Sanchez-Camacho and Nabor Rodriguez-Guillen have been charged with seven counts of aggravated kidnapping. The Bastrop County Sheriffs Office reports that the kidnappers were demanding money from the families of their hostages. There are likely to be more details released on this story as the investigation continues. [News8Austin, Statesman] more ›

• Bastrop has been declared a disaster area today after a downed power line started a now-650-acre-large wildfire near Bastrop State Park. Because of the powerful winds, firefighters have only been able to control a portion of the fire. So far 10 homes have been destroyed by the fire, with 80 homes being evacuated in Bastrop and Smithville. [KXAN]
• The ceiling collapsed above the serving line at the Luby's on Oltorf this afternoon, leaving two injured. 37 people were evaluated by EMS. [KEYE]

Domestic disturbance in Dripping Springs trailer park leads to SWAT standoff with one death. 22 Bastrop students and their bus driver sent to the hospital after the vehicle drove off the road and into a barbed wire fence this morning. Austin sex offender arrested after not staying at home on Halloween. About half of those who were pulled over on "No Refusal Weekend" had over 2 times the legal amount of alcohol in their systems. If you ride the bus, you likely already know, but the CapMetro strike is over. Really, the headline says it all. Lame duck George W. Bush will give the December commencement speech at A&M. more ›