Firefighters battling dozen new wildfires in Texas

The Associated Press

June 20, 2011

STONEHAM, Texas — Dozens of homes have been destroyed and hundreds of people evacuated as firefighters across Texas are working to contain wildfires fed by triple-digit temperatures, high winds and drought.

Texas Forest Service spokeswoman Lexi Maxwell says crews are trying to hold lines to avoid additional evacuations. She was outside a staging area Monday in Stoneham in Grimes County, where at least 4,000 acres were torched in a blaze that began Sunday. Smoke is visible over the trees, and the odor of burning wood is evident.

Some 35 homes and 20 outbuildings have been lost in the blaze about 50 miles north of Houston. It's one of 12 new fires that broke out over the weekend across the state.

Forest Service crews are at 20 fires Monday around Texas.

The Daily Texan

The Daily Texan

The Daily Texan

Firefighters battling dozen new wildfires in Texas

The Daily Texan