Central Texans Recount an Escape From Roaring Fires
![Melvin Pulver of Spicewood lost his mobile home and everything else in the fire a year ago.](https://thumbnails.texastribune.org/LJ1PAD9zSfmOugI65LC3blIw1WU=/850x570/smart/filters:quality(75)/https://static.texastribune.org/media/images/120827-Melvin-Pulver-Spicewood-by-Reshma-Kirpalani.jpg)
It’s been nearly a year since wildfires tore through Central Texas, burning more than 1,600 homes, killing two people and uprooting countless lives.
Over the course of the last year, KUT News has been collecting stories from the people who lived through the fires. There have been many tales of heartbreak, loss, heroism and affirmation. And many that describe the sheer terror of being confronted with such a fast-moving “monster.”
The story of how one man survived the Pedernales fire Sept. 4 through quick thinking and a little luck is told by Spicewood residents Melvin Pulver and Debbie Opdahl.
Texas Tribune donors or members may be quoted or mentioned in our stories, or may be the subject of them. For a complete list of contributors, click here.
Information about the authors
Learn about The Texas Tribune’s policies, including our partnership with The Trust Project to increase transparency in news.