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Winds Fan Flames Of Marina Fire, Down Power Lines
(November 15, 2006)—A wind-whipped fire damaged seven houseboats Wednesday at the Lake Waco Marina as powerful gusts produced by a strong cold front buffeted Central Texas with gusts of as much as 56 miles per hour.
The fire started on one houseboat late Wednesday morning and quickly spread, firefighters said.
Six of the seven houseboats appeared to have been damaged beyond repair.
Firefighters were still on the scene Wednesday afternoon, monitoring hot spots that could flare up again because of the gusty wind.
The cause of the fire is under investigation.
The winds downed trees throughout Central Texas, blocking roads in some areas.
Scattered power outages were reported because of downed power lines.
Authorities say about 4,000 customers in the Waco area lost electricity, mostly because of downed tree limbs and power lines.
One line over the Brazos River near the Brazos Belle in Waco snapped because of the wind and was dangling into the water Wednesday afternoon.
High winds in Killeen caused power problems that affected some schools.
Mountainview Elementary in Harker Heights lost power twice Wednesday and Skipcha Elementary and Union Grove Middle School in Harker Heights each lost power once.
Trees were uprooted by the wind at Meadows Elementary and Ellison High School.
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Sustained winds of between 30 and 40 miles per hour with gusts of 50 miles per hour or more are possible as the cold front moves through the region.
A wind gust of 56 miles per hour was recorded Wednesday morning at Fort Hood Army Airfield.
Wind speeds will drop through the afternoon and evening.
The National Weather Service advises residents to avoid all outside burning and welding and to be careful with smoking materials.
Meanwhile a wind advisory remains in effect until 6 p.m..
Boaters are urged to use caution on area lakes and residents may want to secure objects that could be blown about by the wind, the Weather Service said.
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