Bishop Scott Mayer has issued a call for prayer for those threatened by wildfires in Texas.
According to news reports, as of noon Friday, the Eastland Complex Fire west of Fort Worth already has burned 45,000 acres, about 70 square miles, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service, which monitors such fires. Other, smaller fires also are burning around Abilene and in other West Texas counties, prompting evacuations of small communities.
A nursing home in Rising Star has been evacuated and in Ranger, a church and several downtown buildings, including historic structures, have burned. Low humidity and gusty winds are fueling the multiple fires. Some homes have burned but there have been no reports of injuries.
But wildfires are named that for a reason — they can cover a lot of ground very fast if the wind changes.
Much of the small community of Carbon, population of less than 300, has burned. It is 15 miles south of Eastland, where the Kidd Fire is burning. It is one of the four fires making up the larger blaze called the Eastland Complex Fire. The others are the Wheatland Fire, Oak Mott Fire, and the Walling Fire.
Please pray for those people and animals in the path of the fires, pray for those whose health is affected by the smoke and ash, for those fighting the fires, for those aiding the affected people, and for all anxiously awaiting news from loved ones in the path of the fire.
This prayer is from Episcopal Relief and Development, which offers suggestions on how to help in the wake of disaster.
O God, our refuge and strength,
our help in times of trouble.
Have mercy on the lands
damaged by fires.
Have mercy on the lands
where the weather has destroyed livelihoods.
Protect those who evacuate houses,
and strengthen those who rebuild hope
so that entire communities
may face the future without fear.
Amen.