Texas Fires Burn Homes, Threats to Spread Continue

Wind-whipped wildfires ruined almost 70 homes and burned up more than 110, acres of land in West Texas. Windy conditions threatened to cause further disaster, authorities said on Monday.

The fires moved rapidly from the strip of land in Texas to the southern plains. It emitted smoke that covered the Interstate 20, which caused a traffic accident close to Midland, killing a 5-year-old girl. This impelled the brief closure of the highway on Sunday.

Firefighters struggled to put out the fire until Monday.

Mark Stanford from the Texas Forest Service said that downed lines of electricity could have brought many of the blazes in the Panhandle. Also, a welder ignited another fire. A flicker from a car’s tire rim began a fire when a tire burst in the Midland area, Stanford Said.

Wind of nearly 70 miles per hour was recorded by the National Weather Service. It helped spread the fire in the Amarillo area on Sunday afternoon.

The fire destroyed as much as 68 homes since it started Sunday afternoon. Ten homes were affected in Colorado City and others were in Amarillo area, Kearney said. Abilene, Lubbock, Midland and Panhandle remained at high as a result of the strong winds. However, aircrafts were expected to help by Monday.

The wildfires claimed the life of a 5-year-old child, Cameron Dominguez. She died when their pickup truck was caught up in a traffic accident. The Department of Public Security said it involved eight vehicles and two other passengers were injured. A firefighter lived through second-degree burns in a fire in close proximity to Colorado City, which is nearly 250 miles west of Dallas.

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