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 ›

Firefighters continued overnight to get the blaze in Bastrop under control. As of Monday morning, the fire had spread to cover an area of 16 miles across 6 miles wide. Reported damage thus far includes half of Bastrop State Park and at least 300 homes. The fire continues to move south, and with wind gusts of 40mph expected, firefighters will be working hard to contain it. According to the Texas Fire Service, there is zero containment. more ›

As of Sunday evening, fires are being reported over thousands of acres in Bastrop, Steiner Ranch and more. Anyone in Central Texas with fire fighting experience is strongly asked to call 512-978-1187. UPDATE: @austintexasgov: AFD has reached adequate number of reserve firefighters, NO need to continue calling 978-1187 or 974-0400 at this time #centraltxfires more ›

A fire that sparked in Leander yesterday afternoon is mostly under control this morning. As of 10pm last night, the fire was 80% contained. At one point more than 180 homes in the area were evacuated; 15 houses and 30 acres were destroyed by the fire. Crews from 15 area fire departments responded to the fire, with the help of three helicopters used to drop water. Four of these emergency responders were treated for heat-related issues. Officials are investigating the cause of the blaze which sent one resident to the hospital for smoke inhalation. more ›

As if traffic isn't already messy at this time of day, authorities are recommending motorists stay off Mopac northbound near the 45th street exit as they battle a grass fire. The fire is currently situated by the 45th street exit, in between the road and the fence behind the Post West apartment complex. Update: KVUE says the fire has been contained. more ›

The Statesman is reporting that at midnight, embers from fireworks in the area set the Hula Hut's thatch roof on fire. One fireman suffered an injury in the attempts to put out the blaze. The damage was effectively contained, and the restaurant will be open for business today. In fairness, though, should anyone actually be drinking a "Hu La La" fishbowl of rum today given that we've just ended New Year's Eve? more ›

• Spark from shooting range ignites massive wildfire in Utah
• Five months later, blown-out BP oil well in Gulf is officially dead
• Religious group found safe after 22-hour search in California

We learned today that the Blue Theater—high on our list of favorite performance spaces in Austin—was subject to some damage after a fire broke out Tuesday night between the venue and the neighboring Blue Genie Arts Bazaar. No one was hurt, and the space still exists and everything, but it suffered both interior and exterior damage as a result. more ›

Around 7am, the Austin Fire Department was called to a blaze at 9th Street and Congress at the site of the ultra-upmarket Restaurant Jezebel on Congress Avenue. No one was injured in the fire, though due to the timing, firefighters had to force entry to the property to respond. KXAN is reporting that the blaze did roughly $150,000 of damage to the Downtown restaurant, which is known mostly for upscale modern fusion dishes, a unique service style (a server only approaches your table when you summon them), and an incredibly expensive European wine list not for the faint of heart or wallet. more ›

• Natural-gas facility explosion in Johnson County. One person is still missing hours after the blast...
• Might 2010 be a record year for meth seizures at the Texas-Mexico border?
• These are rough times for the mentally ill of Travis County.

Like many collaborative art experiments, The Art of Such n Such is rather difficult to classify. Part midway show, part burlesque/vaudeville performance, and part fire art extravaganza, it's clear that The Art of Such n Such just has to be experienced first hand. Lovers of beautiful performers, fire, and carnival games will be satiated at this weekend's Art Outside where the Art of Such n Such will engage audiences of all kinds. We had the opportunity to talk to Charlie Smith, the official Instigator of the Such n Such crew about their past experiences, what they'll be presenting at Art Outside and what inspires their madness. more ›

As we've mentioned, this year's Art Outside is going to be bigger and better than ever before. One of the areas where this is most evident is in the ambitious line-up of performance artists that have signed on to participate in the event. In addition to a full scheduled of bands and DJ as well as dozens of visual artists, Art Outside will feature dance, circus acts, puppetry, clowns, and lots of amazing fire art. Performance collective the Art of Such N Such will steal the show with their interactive firey midway show. Among other fabulous contraptions, they've created a Test-Your-Strength Hammer that rewards the mighty with a fiery ball that shoots up into the air. Nothing goes together better than carnies and fire. more ›

Jobless numbers up, again. Unemployed get access to free Viagra. What better to do with all that free time? We're so broke, we're eating roadkill. Clinton (Bill) makes snarky comment at Cheney. Even Sony feels the recession. Awful: motorcyclist killed in Buda yesterday when a dump truck ran over him. Westheimer Apartments' fire report released. more ›

Low turnout for early voting so far. Firefighters talk about yesterday's apartment fire. DPS director resigns amid allegations of touching women in his office inappropriately and other unprofessional behavior. Bill up before state legislature would require sex offenders to register online. Hill Country Galleria files for Chapter 11 bankruptcy. UT student may have swine flu. Do you know how much your school district superintendent makes? more ›

East Austin apartment fire has people jumping from the second story to avoid the flames. Horrific roof collapse at the Dallas Cowboys' training facility this weekend injured 12 people, some still hospitalized. Watch raw video footage of the collapse of the Cowboys' training facility, taken by WFAA-TV photojournalist Arnold Payne. Think you can’t afford a house in Central Austin? You might be right. Original handwritten formula for Dr. Pepper discovered? You might be able to more easily buy a fifth in Lubbock soon… This is good news if you've spent time in Lubbock. more ›

Early this morning, a fixed-up Toyota Supra somehow caught on fire in the City Hall parking lot. Firefighters were able to contain the blaze and no injuries were reported, but authorities are still piecing together just what transpired. 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]

Wildflower displays this year expected to be only moderate since there wasn't much rain this fall. Hard hit by drought, Bastrop County asks Gov. Perry for state of emergency status. San Antonio and Austin city leaders working together to lure solar companies to Central Texas. Capital Metro rail test today showed that cars at 53rd Street are not stopping far enough away from the tracks. Three-alarm fire sparked at a Northeast Austin business at about midnight this morning. Is the honeymoon over? Speaker Straus refuses to hear a motion to allow Reps to voluntarily switch committee assignments. Whole Foods profits down 17.4%. more ›

Around 5:30 a.m., Blind Pig Pub caught on fire, quickly spreading to Maggie Mae's next door. Firefighters were able to contain the initial blaze in under half an hour. Shortly afterwards, Vice Bar, which sits several units away, also caught on fire. It appears that authorities had the second one under control much quicker. more ›

Around lunchtime, many people spotted smoke coming up from the West Campus area. The photo at the left was the view from Whitis and Dean Keeton. more ›

Every weekday morning we'll be featuring a photo (or two) from our readers. Please feel free to submit your photos (min 600px width) by adding them to the Austinist Flickr Group. more ›

The Oak Run Apartments near Banister Ln. and Hwy 71 were set ablaze last night after someone left a match on their couch. The two-alarm fire at the complex took an hour to extinguish after 20 fire trucks were called to the scene; the blaze displaced 16 people and left one woman hospitalized for second-degree burns on her hands. While authorities were searching apartments for residents, they found an unarmed hand grenade (of the type used for military training). The owner of the weapon is (as of yet) unknown. [KEYE] more ›

Midland will host welcome home celebration for Bush on January 20th. City of Austin's lobbyists gearing up for the upcoming Texas Legislative session. Ok, so Straus isn't officially Speaker yet. Council to vote on historical marker status for Lions Municipal Golf Course next week. Austin's first bank robbery of the year took place today at the Chase bank on N. Lamar. House near 183 and Duval caught fire this afternoon; authorities are investigating the possible cause. Despite rumors to the contrary, Major Applewhite is staying at UT. more ›

Every weekday morning we'll be featuring a photo (or two) from our readers. Please feel free to submit your photos (min 600px width) by adding them to the Austinist Flickr Group. more ›

Northwest Austin condo complex under construction catches fire this afternoon off of 2222. Williamson County deputy shot an 82-year-old man in the groin yesterday morning after the man aimed a rifle at the responders. APD is searching for a man who reportedly kidnapped and sexually assaulted his former girlfriend in mid-July. Dog dies as speeding San Marcos driver is detained by a cop. KBH won't say she's not running for governor in 2010. more ›

After it was thought to be contained last night, the wildfire in Williamson County regained power. Since yesterday the fire has caused over 50 homes to be evacuated and has overtaken 3,700 acres. Various Central Texas fire departments have combined forces to work on the fire near Florence, and a black hawk helicopter will be doing water drops. So far the fire has been burning for over 24 hours. [KXAN] more ›

Electric Reliability Council of Texas and PUC ask you to reduce your energy usage tomorrow between the peak hours of 3pm and 7pm. Rep. Michael McCaul making campaign stops at local gas stations today. Gov. Perry issued a disaster declaration this afternoon before Edouard hits tomorrow. Kingsland resident will be charged with aggravated assault after firing his gun at suspected burglars. Multiple businesses in North Lamar strip mall affected by overnight fire. more ›

Officials from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (ATF) are expected to present more concrete facts about the case later today. While no suspects have yet been named — to tide you over, some of the staff have offered up a list of "suspects" in the poll to the right — a 'person of interest' was reportedly caught on video. According to KXAN, the state fire marshal is still deciding whether or not to show this footage to the press. Further hindering the investigation is the fact that several cameras were 'not operational' during the fire. more ›