Not all those who suffered from the fire were ranchers. One who lost his home was John R. Erickson, author of dozens of children's fiction books about Hank the Cowdog. He's not exactly a rancher as his primary profession, but still an owner of cattle - and a Texan.
On March 6 John and his wife received a call warning that fire had broken out near his home. With winds gusting to 50 mph, they grabbed a couple of valuables and escaped safely. A day later they returned to find their home in ashes. Even with insurance, he says, "it’s tough to see your front porch under a pile of rubble … my writing office vaporized, all my books … all the quilts Kris [his wife] had made.” (Click on the photo to see it bigger.)
photo: world.wng.org
But sadder was the story of three men south of them who didn't make it. They "died while riding to open gates so their cattle could escape. One of them, Sloan Everett, placed a call to his pregnant wife and their two other children, advising them to leave their ranch immediately. They left, but never heard back from Everett and his friends."
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