Evacuation order lifted as Texas wildfires burn amid heat
Officials say a mandatory evacuation order issued because of a wildfire in North Texas has been lifted as the threat of fires remains high in the state due to hot temperatures, winds and drought conditions
Evacuation order lifted as Texas wildfires burn amid heat
Show all 3Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A mandatory evacuation order issued because of a wildfire in North Texas has been lifted as the threat of fires remained high Wednesday in the state due to hot temperatures, winds and drought conditions, officials said.
Hood County said the order was lifted Tuesday night, hours after it was issued for a rural area south of Tolar, about 45 miles (72 kilometers) southwest of Fort Worth, due to the Chalk Mountain Fire.
The fire has burned about 9 square miles (23 square kilometers), destroyed at least a dozen structures and was about 10% contained, Texas A&M Forest Services said.
It was not clear how many of the structures were homes, Forest Services spokesperson Mary Leathers said.
County emergency management officials did not immediately return a phone call for comment early Wednesday.
Crews were also fighting a fire at Possum Kingdom Lake, about 70 miles (113 kilometers) west of Fort Worth, that has burned about 500 acres (202 hectares) and at least five homes and was also about 10% contained, according to the agency.
The agency has used bulldozers to dig containment lines around the fires and aircraft to drop water on the flames.
No injuries have been reported as a result of either fire.
A combination of near-record and record temperatures approaching 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius) combined with breezes gusting as high as 30 mph (40-50 kph) and drought conditions leave the region ripe for fire, the forest service said.
The National Weather Service has issued a red flag fire warning and excessive heat warnings for northern and central Texas and western and eastern Oklahoma for Wednesday.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.