Texas Wild Fires from 6,000 feet, stills and video

Yesterday afternoon myself and Fort Worth Star-Telegram photo editor Ian McVea took off from Grand Prairie Municpal airport and headed west to the wild fires burning in Palo Pinto County, near Possum Kingdom Lake. Most of the fires had been knocked down, but the destruction of 6,500 acres was unbelievable. The fires turned parts of the earth into a moonscape. Sorry for the shaky video (at the bottom of the post), but flying in turbulence with a telephoto lens and a 120mph wind rushing by an open window makes it difficult to hold steady. 

A dust devil, kicked up by hot dry winds, swirls dirt and ash into the air after a wild fire burned thousands of acres in Palo Pinto County, Texas, Thursday, September 1, 2011. Special/Brandon WadeA firefighting aircraft flies over scorched earth whole looking for hot spots near Possum Kingdom Lake in this aerial view of the wild fire destruction in Palo Pinto County, Texas, Thursday, September 1, 2011. Special/Brandon Wade

Flame retardant (red streak) dropped from a firefighting aircraft divides scorched earth and green vegetation in this aerial view of the wild fire destruction in Palo Pinto County, Texas, Thursday, September 1, 2011. Special/Brandon WadeA firefighting helicopter looks for hot spots after picking up a load of water from Possum Kingdom Lake in this aerial view of the wild fire destruction in Palo Pinto County, Texas, Thursday, September 1, 2011. Special/Brandon WadeA wild fire hot spot flares up near Possum Kingdom Lake in this aerial view of the wild fire destruction in Palo Pinto County, Texas, Thursday, September 1, 2011. Special/Brandon WadeA firefighting Chinook helicopter refills a water buck from Possum Kingdom Lake in this aerial view of the wild fire destruction in Palo Pinto County, Texas, Thursday, September 1, 2011. Special/Brandon WadeAerial view of the wild fire destruction in Palo Pinto County, Texas, Thursday, September 1, 2011. Special/Brandon Wade

Dodging NFL wide receivers

I spent Monday afternoon at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington covering the Dallas Cowboys practice. The majority of it was uneventfull, however, towards the end of practice wide receiver Lyle Leong was running full speed towards the sidelines in an effort to catch a pass. He managed to get a few fingertips on the ball, but that was it. I had about a second, while on my knees, to dive backwards out of his way. A big thanks to Dallas Morning News staff photographer Michael Ainsworth for capturing a great photo of me on my ass. The following is the sequence of the play.