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Opinion Editorial Firefighters helped Amarillo avoid disaster The entire Amarillo area dodged a huge bullet on Feb. 13. The wind-whipped fires on the north side of town scorched 500 acres. The aerial photos that Coyote Flight Center provided show the vast scope of the fire and the size of the area at risk. The Panhandle is no stranger to damaging range fires. Fires have ignited in the dry grasslands of both the Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles every year for the past few, and a couple of years ago we saw ranches and some homes devastated by the wildfires. But the fire last week was different. First, it was ruled arson. That makes the situation emotionally different from an accidental fire or one started naturally — say, by lightning. Second, if there were a loss of life, then the crime would be murder and, perhaps, even capital murder. But one of the things that distinguished this blaze from some of the other recent ones is that it occurred in an urban area. A drive around the area of Hastings Avenue and Smelter Road, up Broadway and west on St. Francis Drive, or the Loop, would give an up-close and personal idea of how close the flames came to the homes in the neighborhoods. This isn't to discount the losses from the other fires. But the possible loss of life and the damage and loss of homes in the denser settlements that would have been in the fire's path had the wind shifted to the southerly direction would have been incalculable. The firefighters and their leaders should be proud of the way they contained the blazes. Everyone in Amarillo owes them a debt of gratitude. E-mail
comments about this story Posted: February 21, 2008
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