Posted: Thu, 13 Oct 2011 11:29 AM - 13,778 Readers

By: Taylor Short

The fire that destroyed 23 houses and damaged three others in the roughly 1,000-home Steiner Ranch neighborhood during the Labor Day weekend spurred regional firefighters and emergency personnel into action. Gov. Rick Perry surveyed the damage from a helicopter before reassuring the public at a news conference Sept. 6.

Emergency professionals were stretched thin across Central Texas, fighting fires in Bastrop, Spicewood, plus smaller flare-ups in Leander and Austin, in addition to almost 60 other fires across the state, Chief of State Emergency Management Nim Kidd said.

Since containing the blaze, Lake Travis Fire and Rescue Chief Jim Linardos said his department continues to keep an eye on the area as the dry conditions could extend well into 2012.