Perry Tours Damage

Steve Stoler reports

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MONTAGUE, Texas — Gov. Rick Perry went to Montague County Friday afternoon for a first-hand look at the destruction left behind by last week's wildfires.

The flames scorched 155,000 acres in North Texas and took three lives.

The governor's tour started in Stoneburg, a rural town left ravaged by the deadly firestorm. "The intense heat that came from this fire was as bad as I've ever seen before," Perry said during a stop at the Montague Volunteer Fire Department.

Many of the residents who came to hear what Perry had to say are themselves victims of the disaster. "It's hard to express to people who've lost everything that they have thanks to these people," the governor said, gesturing to the volunteers standing behind him. "'I'm sorry' seems such an inadequate word."

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Perry called on President Obama to declare six Texas counties major disaster areas, making them eligible for federal relief. Montague County, one of the worst hit, had 60,000 acres of land and 76 homes go up in flames.

Perry praised the firefighters who stood between the fast-moving blaze and residents' homes. "Some of you risked your lives to take care of your friends," he said. "That's the type of investment in a community that's all too rare in the world we live in today."

Perry said this has been one of the worst years for Texas wildfires, destroying 221 homes and almost a half-million acres.

E-mail sstoler@wfaa.com