Southern Blazes

Texas Hit With Multiple Wildfires

“There were horses on fire, buildings on fire.”

A wildfire burned out of control in West Texas, charring nearly 400 square miles and destroying dozens of homes. "It was unbelievable, just horrific. There were horses on fire, buildings on fire, houses on fire," said Bob Dillard, editor of the weekly Jeff Davis County Mountain Dispatch. The fire is one of several caused by hot, windy conditions and grass dried out from a drought. Another West Texas fire burned 16,000 acres in Midland County and destroyed about 34 homes, while a 71,000-acre fire in Northern Texas has been burning since Wednesday, but hasn’t destroyed any homes. High winds have stymied efforts to put the fires out, preventing air tankers from dousing the flames from above. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is expected to help with the massive fires.