Photo Gallery: Wildfire: Bastrop, Texas (Photo Gallery)

Sep. 15, 2011

UH-60 Black Hawk dumps water

A Texas National Guard UH-60 Black Hawk flies into the smoke and dumps its water over the wild fire in the central Texas Hill Country, near Bastrop, Texas, on Tuesday, September 6, 2011. Texas National Guard crews launched out of the Austin Army Aviation Facility in Austin, TX, to fight wild fires threatening homes and property. (US Army Photo by Staff Sgt. Malcolm McClendon).
Clearing brush to create firebreak

Spc. Brady Burton, with the 111th Engineer Battalion, Texas Army National Guard, (TXARNG), clears trees and brush to create a firebreak. These firebreaks help keep the fire from potentially damaging homes and property. The Texas National Guardsmen have been fighting the Texas wildfires for over 10 days, near Bastrop, Texas, on Wednesday, September 7, 2011. (US Army Photo)
Rising from water source

An aerial water delivery bucket full of water attached under a CH-47 Chinook helicopter from the 2-149th, Aviation, Texas Army National Guard, (TXARNG), rises from a water source to return to a blaze near residential property, near Bastrop, Texas, September 6, 2011. Texas National Guard crews launched out of the Austin Army Aviation Facility, Austin, TX, to fight wild fires. (US Army Photo by Staff Sgt. Malcolm McClendon).
Releasing water over flames

Two Texas National Guard UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters fly over the flames to release water from aerial fire fighting water delivery buckets. Texas National Guard crews launched out of the Austin Army Aviation Facility, Austin, TX, to fight wild fires threatening homes and property near Bastrop, Texas, on Tuesday, September 6, 2011. (US Army Photo by Staff Sgt. Malcolm McClendon).
Heading back to battle

A Texas National Guard UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter heads back to battle the blaze in the background after refilling its aerial water delivery bucket near Bastrop, Texas, on Tuesday, September 6, 2011. Texas National Guard crews launched out of the Austin Army Aviation Facility, Austin, TX, to fight wild fires. (US Army Photo by Staff Sgt. Malcolm McClendon).
Water from Bambi Bucket

A Texas National Guard UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter releases water from aerial fire fighting water delivery bucket, known as a “Bambi Bucket,” onto flames in the central Texas Hill Country. Texas National Guard crews launched out of the Austin Army Aviation Facility, Austin, TX to fight wild fires threatening homes and property near Bastrop, Texas, on September 6, 2011. (Photo by Staff Sgt. Malcolm McClendon).
Preparing a Bambi Bucket

A CH-47 Chinook helicopter crew prepare an aerial water delivery bucket, known as a “Bambi Bucket” for attachment to a hoist cable on the aircraft near Bastrop, Texas, on Tuesday, September 6, 2011. Texas National Guard crews launched out of the Austin Army Aviation Facility to fight wild fires threatening homes and property. The CH-47 Chinook helicopter from the 2-149th, Texas Army National Guard, (TXARNG), will lift the bucket, dip the bucket into a water to quickly fill the bucket and take the water, to fires near Bastrop, Texas, on Tuesday, September 6, 2011. (US Army Photo by Staff Sgt. Malcolm McClendon).
Full bucket of water

An aerial water delivery bucket full of water under a CH-47 Chinook helicopter from the 2-149th, Texas Army National Guard, (TXARNG), rises from a water source to return to a blaze near residential property, Bastrop, Texas, on Tuesday, September, 6, 2011. Texas National Guard crews launched out of the Austin Army Aviation Facility, Austin, TX, to fight wild fires. (US Army Photo by Staff Sgt. Malcolm McClendon).

The totals change every day as new fires break out, more acres are burned and more homes, livestock and lives are threatened by wildfires that have ravaged Texas and other areas of the Southwest for most of the last year. See Wildfire: $100 million in Texas ag losses.