A Bastrop resident points to flames as smoke billows over Texas 71 in Bastrop Country during the wildfires on September 5, 2011.
A Bastrop resident points to flames as smoke billows over Texas 71 in Bastrop Country during the wildfires on September 5, 2011. Bob Daemmrich

A year ago, much of Central Texas was in danger because of wildfires. Suburban neighborhoods abutted drought-sticken green spaces that provided the perfect tinder — even the smallest spark could quick burn out of control. And on this day it had, in places like Steiner Ranch, Spicewood and Bastrop. From KUT News – these are the stories of Central Texans who lived through the Labor Day wildfires.

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Audio: Forged in Flames

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Kiah Collier was a reporter for the ProPublica-Texas Tribune investigative initiative from 2020 through 2023. She previously worked at the Tribune as a reporter and associate editor, covering energy and...