Thousands of acres burned in Texas Panhandle
CANADIAN (AP) - Almost 5,000 acres of Panhandle grassland and at least one building have burned in weekend fires fanned by winds gusting up to 50 mph.
Firefighters battled two large grass and brush fires burning in Donley and Collingsworth counties, just south of Interstate 40, the Texas Forest Service said Sunday.
But as hot spots were extinguished, high winds rekindled the flames and sent burning embers across fire control lines.
Dry, windy conditions have contributed to the fire danger, the forest service said. But by late Sunday, all Panhandle fires were extinguished.
"It is all over in Oklahoma now," said Pam Trimble, spokeswoman for the Hemphill County sheriff's office. "There are controlled burns in Oklahoma just east of us."
A fire southeast of McLean burned an estimated 1,700 acres, while another blaze southwest of Lela scorched about 1,200 acres before firefighters brought it under control.
An 80-acre wildfire that burned a house and barn in Deaf Smith County had a suspicious origin, the forest service said.
On Friday, volunteer firefighters from Hartley County battled a 1,920-acre blaze.
The forest service said 90 grass fires have destroyed at least five structures and burned more than 30,700 acres in the Panhandle.
Canadian is about 300 miles northwest of Dallas.