GRAHAM, Texas (AP) — Wildfires sweeping across hundreds of thousands of acres in Texas have killed a firefighter, forced hundreds of evacuations and destroyed dozens of homes.
Fire officials said late Friday that the blazes spanned about 655 square miles of parched grasslands, fueled by strong winds.
A 20,000-acre fire destroyed about 30 homes as it burned around Possum Kingdom Lake, a popular recreation spot about 120 miles west of Dallas.
Three large fires burning in Wichita County, about 150 miles northwest of Dallas, had destroyed about 30 homes. A military housing complex near Sheppard Air Force Base was evacuated for two hours but no buildings were damaged.
Authorities say Eastland firefighter Gregory M. Simmons died while battling a separate 3,000-acre blaze. No other injuries have been reported but several towns have been evacuated.
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