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Firefighters battle nine large wildfires in Texas

TEXAS : Firefighters have so far contained around 25 percent of a large wildfire in northern Texas, one of many burning in the state. The fires have destroyed 26 buildings, most of them homes, this month.

The Texas Forest Service (TFS) said in an update that the threat to homes continues since the largest fire remains "extremely active." At least 125 homes have been evacuated while some 7,500 acres have burned in Palo Pinto County alone near the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

"Extremely active fire behavior was observed yesterday and through the night," said Tom Berglund, a spokesperson for the Lone Star Incident Management Team of the TFS. "At least 20 homes are reported destroyed and another 125 are evacuated. Numerous single-engine airtankers, helicopters and heavy airtankers have been mobilized."

As of Wednesday, the TFS said it was responding to nine large fires in the state which have burned a combined total of 16,285 acres. "National Guard dozers, as well as Blackhawk and Chinook helicopters, are assisting with the fire responses," Berglund said.

The second-largest fire is burning near Legacy in Howard County, where a blaze has burned at least 3,400 acres. Numerous structures are threatened in the area and have been evacuated. As of Wednesday, 10 percent of the fire was contained.

Another fire is raging near in Coryell County where 1,635 acres have been burned although 90 percent has already been contained. "This is a complex of five fires started by someone towing a barbecue pit. A total of 11 fires started, but several burned together," Berglund.

Other large fires are in: Kimble County (1,200 acres, 40 percent contained), Hall County (1,000 acres, 80 percent contained), Edwards County (650 acres, 60 percent contained), Sutton County (300 acres, 50 percent contained), Menard County (300 acres, 95 percent contained), and Burnet County (300 acres, 75 percent contained).

Forecasters said an upper-level ridge will begin to migrate across Texas on Wednesday but continue to provide mostly dry weather for the majority of the state, increasing the chance of more fires. A surface trough will continue across the panhandle area helping to continue winds over a large portion of west Texas.

High temperatures will range in the mid-90s (35 degrees Celsius) to the mid-100s (40 degrees Celsius) on Wednesday. "Remember, temperatures you read in a weather forecast are measured in the shade," Berglund noted. "Temperatures in the sun can be up to 20 degrees hotter, especially when measured in the black!"
Texas is currently battling one of the worst fire seasons in state history, according to officials. In April, TFS responded to 78 fires burning 460,850 acres in seven days. More than 900 firefighters from across Texas and 33 different states were called in to help battle the fires, which prompted the evacuation of more than 500 homes.

The dangerous conditions are caused by two main factors: the ongoing drought and an overabundance of dead vegetation which burns easily. More than 90 percent of the state is suffering from "extreme" or "exceptional" drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor at the University of Nebraska. (BNO News)