Fire by Lucy Helton features post-apocalyptic images of the aftermath of the great Bastrop fire of 2011

“September 2011, I returned during the biggest wildfire the county had ever seen, instigated by yet another drought.”
- Lucy Helton

The Bastrop County Complex fire was a conflagration that engulfed parts of Bastrop County, Texas in September and October 2011. The wildfire was then the costliest and most destructive wildfire in Texas history and among the costliest in U.S. history. An exceptional drought accompanied by record-high temperatures, affected Texas for much of 2011. Vegetation consequently became severely parched throughout the state, and over the year an unprecedented amount of land in the state was burned by numerous wildfires. In early September 2011, the presence of Tropical Storm Lee to the east produced strong northerly winds over the state, exacerbating the preexisting dry weather to produce critical fire conditions.