Nationwide wildfires exceed 50,000 this year, most in past decade
Evacuations were being ordered Tuesday across rural parts of north central Texas, where a wildfire that began early Monday afternoon has grown to more than 78 square miles (200 square kilometers), burning through ranchland and forcing schools to delay or cancel classes, the Associated Press reported. The fire has ripped through lightly populated areas across two counties in the region.
Perfect fire conditions allowed the fire to shoot up in a matter of hours, officials with Palo Pinto County’s emergency services district said.
“We’ve thrown everything at this, and we’re still having minimal effect,” Palo Pinto County Fire Chief Danny Watkins said.
The Texas fire is part of a broader pattern of wildfire activity across the South and western United States, where extremely dry conditions have persisted in recent days. A dozen new large fires were reported on Sunday alone, the National Interagency Fire Center said.
Nationwide, more than 50,000 wildfires have been recorded so far this year — the most over the past 10 years for the same time period, according to the center.