MARK GOODMAN/Blurb Book #2. The September 4, 2011 Bastrop Texas Complex Fire was the worst wildfire in the state’s history. A million and a half trees burned. Thirty-five thousand acres were laid waste, a total of forty square miles—and three of those acres were mine. My house was destroyed along with 1,690 others. The estimated insured property losses reached $380 million with two thousand insurance claims filed, though ten percent of the devastated homes weren’t insured. Five thousand people evacuated. Two people died. Two hundred and fifty volunteer firefighters (sixteen crews) worked on the ground with one hundred and twenty-six engines, eight water tenders, and twenty-six dozers trying to secure the fire’s perimeter; from above, Black Hawk helicopters and heavy air tankers dumped fire retardant and water. The fire was not brought under control before October 10th, and not completely extinguished until October 29th, almost two months after it began.[Memoir by Mark Goodman and photographs by Sybil Miller.]