• Philip Burn

The Salvation Army Providing 24/7 Support at Central Texas Wildfire

Dallas, TX (September 5, 2011) – Four Salvation Army mobile feeding units are providing 24/7 assistance to firefighters battling wildfires that are estimated to have torched more than 25,000 acres in Bastrop County, about 30 miles east of Austin, Texas. Since Sunday, 476 homes have been destroyed by the raging wildfires and 5,000 area residents evacuated, as conditions continue to worsen.

Salvation Army staff and disaster volunteers from Temple, Kerrville, and Austin have been supporting firefighters as they struggle to contain the wildfires. More Salvation Army units are expected to be called to Bastrop County in the coming days to assist in the growing response.

Another wildfire, in and around Possom Kingdom, only 90 miles West of Fort Worth, is now under control. Salvation Army units from Sherman, Fort Worth, Dallas and McKinney returned home on Sunday, having served since Friday.

Since the start of the wildfire season, Texas fire crews have responded to a record 20,900 fires that have destroyed more than 1,000 homes and burned 3.6 million acres. The Salvation Army is committed to providing refreshment, relief and counseling both to responders, and those directly affected by the devastating wildfires.

Monetary donations to support The Salvation Army Disaster Services can be made by:

·         MAIL – please send checks to The Salvation Army, PO Box 36607
          Dallas, TX 75235

·         PHONE at 1-800-SAL-ARMY

·         ONLINE at www.salvationarmytexas.org

For more information about The Salvation Army’s disaster response effort, please go to www.Facebook.com/SalvationArmyTexas, www.disaster.salvationarmyusa.org, or www.salvationarmytexas.org. 

About The Salvation Army

The Salvation Army, an evangelical part of the universal Christian church established in 1865, has been supporting those in need in His name without discrimination for 129 years in the United States. Nearly 30 million Americans receive assistance from The Salvation Army each year through the broadest array of social services that range from providing food for the hungry, relief for disaster victims, assistance for the disabled, outreach to the elderly and ill, clothing and shelter to the homeless and opportunities for underprivileged children. 82 cents of every dollar spent is used to support those services in 5,000 communities nationwide. For more information, go to www.salvationarmyusa.org