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BeauMont

Vol. Cxxxi, No. 164

EntErprisE com
MONDAY, APrIL 18, 2011 75 Cents

Firefighters hope to have 5,500-acre blaze contained today

Photo provided by Mary Catherine Johnson

In 1986, Sister Bernita Hessling founded Holy Spirit Mission, the first Catholic establishment in Kountze.

Holy Spirit Mission put roots in Kountze

southeast teXas tales
HardinCounty@HearstNP.com (409) 755-4912, ext. 3

Sister created Catholic tradition

By Stephanie Miles

The Kountze Catholic community was unseen for many years. That was until a womans touch and determination brought the city its first Catholic establishment. Sister Bernita Hessling, a Dominican nun originally from Illinois, spent almost a decade in Southeast Texas but made a lasting impression in Kountze, founding Holy Spirit Mission. She had a gorgeous voice, said Lynda Davis, who was a member of Holy Spirit. I loved listening to her. And when she would smile, her eyes would just glisten. She definitely smiled with her eyes.
catholic, page 5A

Volunteer firefighters battle a wildfire Sunday in Hardin County on Gore Store Road in an attempt to extinguish the blaze before it destroyed any

Village Mills

By Sarah Moore

Scorched earth
SCMoore@BeaumontEnterprise.com (409) 880-0730

homes. At least 5,500 acres were scorched in the blaze. As of Sunday night no injuries were reported and no homes were damaged.

Guiseppe Barranco/The Enterprise

Firefighters are hoping today to have a raging wildfire that has consumed more than 5,500 acres of land in Hardin County contained. A thick blanket of smoke drifted across the thousands of scorched acres on Sunday as firefighters

from all over East Texas struggled to bring the blaze under control. About five homes were evacuated and firefighters took up position around structures downwind of the fires for a last stand in case the blaze began to encroach. Other residents were leaving their homes voluntarily to get out of the heavy smoke and ash.
fire, page 3A

MOrE photos of the fire: BeaumontEnterprise.com/photos

Guiseppe Barranco/The Enterprise

Heavy smoke surrounded Judy Arnold and Don Arnold home in North Hardin on Sunday as volunteer firefighters and

helicopters battled a near by wild fire. Don Roy, 11, is also pictured.

fire: Wind worked against containment efforts Sunday

Continued from page 1A

As of Sunday evening, no homes had been lost and no injuries reported, Hardin County emergency management coordinator Theresa Wigley said. The fire appeared to have started accidentally at an oil drilling site Saturday and by Sunday evening had burned about 5,500 acres, said Chief Randy Odom of the Wildwood Fire Department. Fires on Sunday were burning on the west side of Gore Store Road; in the vicinity of McNeely Road and Hoffman Loop Road and near Fire Tower Road, Wigley said. Firefighters were trying to contain the blaze so it wouldnt jump over U.S. 69, said Jay Hinkie of the Silsbee Fire Department. All day, volunteer firefighters and personnel from the Texas Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and other agencies swarmed over the area responding to the blaze as it shifted with the wind. If this wind would lay down, wed have a decent chance of containing it, said Chief Thomas Eller with the Dam-B Fire Department.

But with the wind the way its going, its going to be tough. Pine Ridge, Kountze, Wildwood, Sour Lake, Silsbee, Warren, Ivanhoe, Dam-B, Woodville, Spurger, Fred and Lumberton fire departments contributed their services to the effort. Eller explained that unless the blaze threatened homes or other structures, there wasnt a lot firefighters could do to quell it. Instead, efforts were directed toward containment. To this end, Texas Forest Service personnel bulldozed firebreaks around the perimeters of the fires, then set fires behind the breaks to burn up fuel ahead of the fires progression, Eller said. Helicopters thundered overhead all day, carrying large containers of water to dump on the flames. The helicopters also were used to monitor the fires location and direct firefighters attention to hot spots Wigley said. By Sunday, the fire had jumped into the Turkey Creek Unit of the Big Thicket National Preserve. However, as the preserve regularly sets prescribed burns, using up the excess brush that builds up provid-

ing fuel for wildfire, damage there wasnt expected to be extensive, Eller said. Overall, conditions are expected to be conducive to wildfire this summer as drought conditions stretch on. Although conditions Sunday were bone dry and persistent winds continued to fan the flames, the fire was about 80 percent under control, Odom said. The Forest Service is saying they should have a good handle on it (Monday) morning, he added. Some residents on Sunday planned to stay with their homes for as long as possible. Carla Shutter and her husband were alerted about 10 p.m. Saturday that the fire had shifted toward their 38acre property on Hoffman Loop Road. They quickly shuttled their two children to the care of grandparents and returned to monitor the fires progress. By Sunday, Kountze volunteer firefighters had staked out the perimeter ready to spring into action should the blaze encroach on the area

around the house. Its very nerve-wracking, Shutter said. She added that the presence of the firefighters was keeping her from panicking. Im just happy to see them. Pine View Road residences nearby were also uncomfortably close to the fire, but as in the case of the Shutter homestead, some residents were staying in their homes or rather, outside of their homes were they could keep an eye on the billowing smoke over the treetops. Judy and Don Arnold, surrounded by children and grandchildren, stood in front of their home of more than 18 years keeping a wary vigil in the smoke-dimmed sunlight. This weather is just scary, Judy Arnold said. Like Shutter, the Arnolds felt reassured by the presence of the firefighters. These guys have been so wonderful! Judy Arnold said. They had a fire truck all night in our yard and three firefighters watching out for us... I mean, they were just fantastic to us!

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Marsh fire under control, burning

By Sarah Moore
SCMoore@BeaumontEnterprise.com (409) 880-0730

300 yards from DuPont, he said. The water district fought the fire with assistance from China, A marsh fire near the Suno- Labelle-Fannett, Beaumont, Nome, Hamshire, co and DuPont plants was under control but still burning and Port Arthur fire departments. Sunoco and the U.S. Sunday night. The fire was reported about Coast Guard also assisted 2:30 p.m. Sunday in a difficult with Southeast Texas EMS on to reach marsh alongside the standby. Boats from Morants Neches River near the Beau- Towing were used to fight the mont city limits, said Efrain difficult to reach fire from the Avendano, spokesman for Jef- river. As of Sunday night an esferson County Water District 10. The fire covered an ex- timate of when the fire might Guiseppe Barranco/The Enterprise tensive area, Avendano said, be extinguished was not availalthough he couldnt estimate able. Well know more in a An uncontrolled marsh fire filled Nederlands skies with smoke couple of hours, Avendano Sunday as volunteer firefighters kept a close eye on the blaze. the number of acres. At one point it got about said.