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Firefighters lend hand to East Texas
Published October 3, 2005
Less than a week after southern Brazoria County dodged Hurricane Rita, Lake Jackson and Angleton sent reinforcements this weekend to help firefighters 145 miles away.
Ten area firefighters — six from Lake Jackson and four from Angleton — helped relieve East Texas fire departments exhausted from Rita’s aftermath. It was a natural gesture to make, said Lake Jackson Fire Chief Mike Harper.
“I guess because if it had come here, we would be putting out the call for help ourselves,” he said.
On Friday, Angleton firefighters loaned needed manpower to McLewis volunteer firemen, a 15-member department in the 5,000-person town in Orange County, said Angleton Fire Capt. Neal Morton. The Angleton contingent left for their three-day mission at
4:30 a.m. Friday, and by 10 a.m., they already were answering calls, Morton said.
East Texas residents are resorting to burning brush to clean up Rita’s devastation, but the area has declared a burn ban. On Friday, trash fires dominated Angleton firefighters’ time with about 14 calls, Morton said. There also was a mutual aid call to Bridge City.
Morton described Rita’s destruction. There are trees ripped from the roots and others snapped like twigs, he said.
“A storm of this magnitude, if it were to hit Brazoria County, it would be devastating, without a doubt,” Morton said.
Angleton’s reinforcements gave the ragged McLewis fire department a chance to catch its breath, said McLewis Fire Chief David Roberts. His men had finished many rescues, but they were continuing searches of small houses to make sure no one was left behind, he said. They were running on empty after staffing emergency operations during the storm and driving school buses to evacuate people.
Angleton’s emergency responders were the first relief the McLewis fire department had.
“We thank y’all very much for letting y’all’s personnel come down and give us a hand,” Roberts said. “If we can ever return the favor, we’ll do it.”
Lake Jackson firefighters left early Saturday morning and planned to return tonight, Harper said. They planned to help clear roadways and protect people from downed power lines, he said.
Bridie Isensee is a reporter for The Facts. Contact her at (979) 237-0149.
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