Evacuation order lifted as Texas wildfires burn amid heat


A mandatory evacuation order due to wildfires in North Texas has been lifted, officials said.

Hood County said the order was issued Tuesday night because of the Chalk Mountain Fire, a rural area about 45 miles (72 kilometers) south of Tolar, southwest of Fort Worth.

The fire has burned about 9 square miles (23 square kilometers), destroyed at least a dozen structures and is about 10% contained, the Texas A&M Forest Service said.

Forest Service spokeswoman Mary Leathers said it was unclear how many of the buildings were homes.

County emergency management officials did not immediately return phone calls for comment early Wednesday.

The fire at Possum Kingdom Lake, about 70 miles (113 kilometers) west of Fort Worth, has burned 500 acres (202 hectares) and at least five homes and is about 10% contained, the agency said. .

The agency used bulldozers to dig containment lines around the blaze and sent planes to drop water on the blaze.

No injuries were reported as a result of either fire.

Temperatures near 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius) combined with record highs, winds gusting up to 30 mph (40-50 kph) and dry conditions made the region ripe for fire, the Forest Service said.

The National Weather Service has issued a red flag fire warning and an extreme heat warning for north and central Texas and western and eastern Oklahoma for Wednesday.

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