An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : News : Article View
NEWS | Oct. 21, 2015

Texas National Guard crews helping fight wildfires

By 1st Lt. Alicia Lacy Texas Air National Guard

BASTROP, Texas - The Texas Army National Guard's aviation assets joined the fight to help its neighbors in Bastrop County battle a wildfire that ignited Oct. 13.

Since the initial request last Tuesday evening, the Guard supported local officials and the Texas A&M Forest Service to help suppress the Hidden Pines fire that, as of Wednesday, has burned more than 4,852 acres of land and destroyed about 40 structures.  According to the latest reports, this fire is 80 percent contained.

The Texas Army National Guard provided two UH-60 Black Hawks from the Austin Army Aviation Support Facility and two CH-47 Chinooks from Grand Prairie to support fire suppression efforts, with two additional UH-60 Black Hawks on standby from the Guard's San Antonio facility.

As of noon Wednesday, the TXARNG aviation crews flew nearly 160 hours and dropped more than 700,000 gallons of water that they loaded into their Bambi Buckets from local lakes and ponds.

The scene was too familiar to some area residents, aviators and Texans who remember the Bastrop County Complex fire just four years earlier that burned more than 34,000 acres of land not too far from the heavily-wooded Hidden Pines area where the fire continues to burn.

Chief Warrant Officer 4 Drew Segraves, an instructor pilot from the Austin facility, said he remembers crews from the facility that helped battle the 2011 fire.

With the devastating Bastrop County Complex fire still fresh on their minds, TXARNG aviation crews continue to provide aerial fire suppression efforts.

 

 

Related Articles
U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Hussein Mashal, an infantryman with Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 178th Infantry Regiment, Illinois Army National Guard, listens to questions from troops about sniper training at a range near Toruń, Poland, June 7, 2025.
A Career of Service: Illinois Army Guard Soldier Reflects on Time in Active Component, Army Guard, and Army Reserve
By Staff Sgt. Amber Peck, | July 11, 2025
TORUŃ, Poland — Sgt. 1st Class Hussein Mashal, an Illinois Army National Guard Soldier with nearly two decades of service, has checked a lot of Army boxes – service in all three components – active, Reserve, National Guard –...

Brig. Gen. Leland D. Blanchard II, the Adjutant General (TAG) for the D.C. National Guard, recognizes members of the 113th Wing D.C. Air National Guard and members of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) during Cyber Shield 2025 at the Virginia National Guard's State Military Reservation in Virginia Beach, VA, on June 11, 2025. Cyber Shield, the longest and largest Department of Defense cyber exercise sharpens skills, tests tactics, and strengthens collaboration in computer network defense measures and protecting our nation's critical infrastructure from evolving cyber threats and cyber incident response.
District of Columbia Guard, Jamaican Defence Force Partner at Cyber Exercise
By Ayan Sheikh, | July 10, 2025
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Members of the District of Columbia Air National Guard’s 113th Communications Squadron joined more than 900 participants from across the U.S. military and allied nations for Cyber Shield 2025, a two-week...

Colorado Army National Guard Soldier Sgt. 1st Class Robert F. Cruz, 8th Civil Support Team, receives the Soldier’s Medal for Heroism from The Adjutant General of Colorado, Maj. Gen. Laura Clellan, during a ceremony at the Colorado Freedom Memorial in Aurora, Colorado, July 9, 2025. Cruz was awarded the medal after rescuing an unconscious driver from a burning vehicle without regard for his own safety. The Soldier's Medal is the highest U.S. Army award for acts of heroism in non-combat situations.
Colorado Soldier Receives the Soldier’s Medal for Heroism
By | July 10, 2025
CENTENNIAL, Colo. — U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Robert F. Cruz, 8th Weapons of Mass Destruction Civil Support Team, Colorado Army National Guard, was awarded the Soldier’s Medal for heroism July 9 in an official ceremony at the...