The Associated Press
CADDO, Texas — Drought-parched grass and gusting winds fueled wildfires in western Texas on Saturday that destroyed at least one home, threatened several others and burned a swath of land more than five miles long.
Authorities said no injuries have been reported from the fires, which began Friday and have engulfed more than 4,300 acres in Palo Pinto and Stephens counties, about 85 miles west of Fort Worth.
A hunter’s cabin was destroyed, but firefighters saved six homes, Texas Forest Service spokeswoman Traci Weaver said. No evacuations were ordered.
Parts of Stephens County lost power early Saturday, and firefighters were still protecting the town of Caddo, which has about 40 residents.
“When conditions are this dry, it is very difficult,” Weaver said. “A simple wind shift or something like that, and they may have to ready to evacuate right away.”
Wildfires have burned nearly 2 million acres across Texas since January, killing 17 people and destroying more than 1,000 structures.
Meanwhile, another day of good weather in Wyoming enabled firefighters to do some mop-up work on a fire that has burned about 11,700 acres, or more than 18 square miles, about five miles from Casper, the state’s second-largest city.
“That’s been the main push today — mop-up, rehab of some ‘dozer lines, which we want to do to minimize erosion and help clean things up,” said Vince Mazzier, spokesman for the National Incident Management Team.
Lightning sparked the fire Monday. It quickly spread in dry forest, destroying four cabins and threatening hundreds of homes. Residents of about 60 homes have been told they can return, but about 300 remain under evacuation orders.
In northcentral Washington, firefighters burned fuel in the path of two wildfires that covered more than 170 square miles, trying to slow their growth as another wave of thunderstorms was forecast.
The fires grew by 8,000 acres, or about 13 square miles, after merging Friday. They have now charred about 111,200 acres between the towns of Winthrop and Conconully, said John Townsley of the interagency fire center in Portland, Ore. The fires were started by lightning in July.