RANDALL COUNTY, TEXAS -- UPDATE 4:40 p.m.
Two full days after our massive wildfires...the residents of the Palisades area southeast of Amarillo were finally let back in on Tuesday to survey the damage.
We've already reported that almost 20 homes were lost but most people are only getting their first look at the damages today.
For Dave and Deborah O'Connor, it's been a rough two days, as it has for most Palisades residents. they were watching TV Sunday when they heard the first sirens...not long after that, they loaded up what they could, including their cats, and had to evacuate.
Deborah O'Connor remembers, "We packed up the cats and both vehicles as best we could and as we were leaving, back there you could see the orange flames, they were right there and we were lucky to get out when we did and had no hope that there'd be anything left."
Luckily, their house was spared. The flames came to within a few feet of them and their neighbors as they were leaving, but for some reason, the flames stopped short.
"The wind turned at that time...there, smoke was that way, the grass over there and over there are gone (on both sides of their house) and we have no singes in our grass at all, " she says. "None."
These two have only lived here for a couple years, and say they have no plans of moving away from their home in the Palisades...and hope the generosity and the panhandle spirit they've seen from neighbors all around continues.
"Just open your heart and your pocketbooks, like us, we didn't think it could happen to us and we've been blessed and I think it's all people can do is ask...and then do it."
UPDATE 12:55 p.m
Pronews 7's Steve Myers is in the Palisades area evaluating the damage. Tune into Pronews 7 for the complete report.
Previously posted
Pronews 7 just spoke with Danny Alexander with the Randall County Sheriff's Office, and he said that the Palisades community is now open to residents only.
