It's Mid-May, And A TX Panhandle Fire Just Burned At Least 156 Homes & Buildings
At least 156 structures were destroyed in the Texas Panhandle and 2,100 residents were evacuated after a wildfire burned up to two square miles northeast of Amarillo, fire officials said Monday.
One person died of a heart attack during the blaze, but it was unrelated to the fire that started in the small town of Fritch late Sunday afternoon, said Phillip Truitt, a spokesman for the Texas A&M Forest Service.
The fire, which burned through the Lake Meredith Harbor subdivision, was about 35% contained Monday. It was whipped up by seasonal winds and fed by dry, parched brush due to an ongoing drought, said Hutchinson County Deputy Fire Chief Jason Wright.
About 300 firefighters were still working in the area Monday, assessing hot spots and damage, Wright said. Texas Department of Public Safety Trooper Christopher Ray said there were “fire trucks as far as the eye can see.” Firefighters faced numerous challenges in containing the blaze in the northwestern Texas canyons, he said.
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http://www.latimes.com/nation/nationnow/la-na-nn-texas-panhandle-fire-20140512-story.html
