From Michelle Malkin:
Galveston, nearly empty, is reporting three large fires engulfing historic buildings. Via Reuters:
A large fire broke out in downtown Galveston on Friday night, engulfing three buildings and sending flames shooting into the sky as the first winds from Hurricane Rita began whipping the coastal island.
Fire crews attempted to fight the blaze on the eastern side of the city, which had been mostly evacuated in anticipation of the storm. The cause of the fire was not immediately known.
Winds of 60 to 70 mph (96-113 kph) pushed the flames across roofs of nearby buildings and sent sparks swirling down on firefighters, forcing them to stay well back.
One of the buildings appeared to have burned nearly to the ground and the difficult conditions for firefighters were expected to get far worse.
"We're expecting winds of 100 miles an hour in 20 to 25 minutes. I recommend you get to shelter," one Galveston police officer told a Reuters reporter at the scene.
Houston FD is sending help to Galveston. I'm listening live to Houston FD.
They are battling several fires at the moment themselves.
Talk about heroes! These guys are out there doing heroic work in the worst of conditions!!!
Interesting: They came across an elderly man who refused to evacuate earlier.
Will update as events happen.
VW
Update one: They have some units set aside for explosions and casualty response only.
Update two: Powerlines down causing small fires.
Update Three: Obstetrical call. If it's a girl, will they name her Rita?
Update Four: House Fire
Comments