Four St. Edward’s University students lost their homes and 14 had to be evacuated after the fires that raged through Bastrop, according to Lisa Kirkpatrick, associate vice president of student affairs and dean of students.

“This is cumulative based on what the Dean of Students office knows and [includes] the students that we’ve followed up with, connected with and have assisted,” Kirkpatrick said.

Extreme drought combined with high winds sparked the fires that consumed 1,554 homes in Bastrop County in recent weeks.

Kirkpatrick said there is no doubt that more students have been affected by the disaster.

Junior Jemma Perry, who lives on East Riverside Road near Ben White Boulevard and Lockhart Highway, evacuated her home due to smoke.

“We were hit from both sides: Bastrop and Leander,” Perry said.

After packing memorable possessions, Perry and her roommate migrated to a friend’s home in Round Rock to escape the harsh smoke that was irritating their asthma. They fell victim to the smoke and the haziness of sleep deprivation that resulted from evacuating overnight and did not attend school the next day. Perry then heard news that the fires were not advancing to Travis County and “the paranoia was marshmallows.”

During the second evacuation, Connolly and her family were given more time to pack and evacuate their home and thus able to gather important documents, such as social security cards, passports and photo albums.

By the time the Connolly and her family were able to return home, the fires were 80 percent contained. The morning of Sept. 13, Connolly returned home and was able to attend classes.

“It was rough because I didn’t get a lot of sleep,” she said.

The Texas wildfires remain a threat to Bastrop County as well as all of Texas. 250 out of 254 Texas counties have reported burn bans, according to the Texas Forest Service. Those four counties that have not reported burn bans reside along the Gulf Coast, making them less threatened by fires.

Downtown Bastrop appears untouched by the fires. However, immediate surrounding areas such as Tahitian Village and McAllister Road neighborhoods are dotted with ruined or damaged homes, disaster relief stations, and signs that read “street