ABOUT The Book

A memoir by Kim A. Talbert

High winds, a historic drought, low humidity and a rolling countryside of cedar trees and dense foliage are the perfect ingredients for a wildfire nightmare.

In April 2011, two weeks before Easter, that nightmare became a shocking reality for those of us who live at Possum Kingdom Lake in North Texas, about 90 miles west of Fort Worth. Over seven days, four major wildfires erupted: the Hohertz fire on April 9, the Jackson Ranch fire on April 12, the PK West fire on April 13 and the PK East fire on April 16

On April 18, the four fires ravaging the land became known as the PK Complex fire. Officially, that is. I will always call the inferno the Burning Beast.  

It took until April 29 for the PK Complex fire to be 100% contained, and it left a path of destruction in its wake. Final reports conclude that it had devoured 166 homes, 124 outbuildings, two churches and 126,734 acres, including 90% of Possum Kingdom State Park. Countless wild animals lost their lives as well.      

This book is my personal experience with the fire, written as it actually happened in real time. It is my passionate expression of how the tragedy affected my family, my immediate community and those who supported us. It’s a 14-day memoir that includes various forms of social media to tell the story: Facebook, a blog (created by Pondera Properties at Possum Kingdom Lake), email updates and text messaging. Facebook had a profound effect on the outcome of my situation, and without Pondera’s blog, I would not have had access to the details of what took place as fire attacked our world, and this book would not have been possible.

The PK Complex fire forever altered me mentally, physically and spiritually. As you step into my nightmare, The Burning Beast may forever alter your perspective of life on each of these levels as well.