On the Range: Wildfire Roars Through Ranch
By: Sam Nichols
Updated: May 1, 2009
After six years of hard work and intensive management, Eastland County rancher Taylor Yates was gaining quite a reputation for his productive and innovative ranching methods. All of his hard work literally went up in smoke four weeks ago in a raging wildfire.
The fire reached within 200 ft. of Taylor's ranch house, but the house was not destroyed. Taylor says the heroes during the fire were his neighbors who came over and fought the fire, and members of the Stephens and Eastland county fire departments.
Although his house was spared, Taylor lost 90% of his grazing for his cattle herd. In just the four short weeks since the fire, new growth is already breaking forth, and Taylor says the fire will be very beneficial in the long term.
