Texas wildfire mushrooms within hours, ripping through ranchlands

A wildfire that exploded in size in a matter of hours ripped through wide swaths of ranchland in rural Texas, burning structures at a youth camp while forcing evacuations and closing schools Tuesday.

The fire, which began early Monday afternoon, charred more than 78 square miles (200 square kilometers) in less than a day across lightly populated areas in two counties in north central Texas. Fueled by whipping winds along with extremely hot and dry conditions, the Ross Fire jumped creeks and rivers, residents said.

“It just took off way too fast,” said Katie Rochelle, whose fifth-generation family canoe rental business lost its office and repair shop outside Graford. “The wind was going in a tornado motion.”

Her husband, a local firefighter, helped save their home overnight, but she was worried it could go up in flames anytime.

“I don’t know how our house survived,” she said. “Now we’re waiting and praying. Praying it doesn’t get our house. That’s all we can do.”

It wasn’t immediately known how many structures have burned. Multiple buildings were destroyed at Worth Ranch, a youth camp on the southern edge of the fire, when flames swept through Tuesday. No campers or guests were on the property, and all personnel were safely evacuated, according to Scouting America’s Longhorn Council, which owns the camp.

Firefighters aided by water-dropping aircraft protected structures on ranchland near the tiny town of Palo Pinto.

High temperatures and gusty winds allowed the blaze to shoot up faster than anyone could have imagined, officials with Palo Pinto County’s emergency services district reported. “We’ve thrown everything at this, and we’re still having minimal effect,” Fire Chief Danny Watkins said. There was just 8% containment as of Tuesday evening.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Tuesday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency will provide resources to help fight the Ross Fire, and he warned Texans to limit activity that could spark new blazes during the dangerous weather.

Crews were also battling four smaller wildfires in surrounding Texas counties. Fires have been popping up across the South and the West in recent days as extremely dry conditions persist. A dozen new large blazes were reported on Sunday alone, the National Interagency Fire Center said.

Nationwide, there have been more than 50,000 wildfires so far this year, the most over the past 10 years covering the same time period, according to the center.

The National Weather Service warned of a high risk of fast-moving fires in Southern California north of Los Angeles, and a red flag warning was issued through Friday.

Firefighters in Nevada made significant progress in slowing a fire that forced thousands to evacuate from Reno over the weekend after flames spread dangerously close to densely populated neighborhoods.

The Hawk Fire has destroyed at least 47 homes across about 23 square miles (60 square kilometers). Authorities in Nevada said on Tuesday evening that the fire was 85% contained.

The number of people in the Reno area under mandatory evacuation orders dropped significantly. The fire near the California state line began Saturday and rapidly grew in size on Sunday. At least seven people — three first responders and four civilians — were injured.

Fire officials in Reno have blamed human activity for the Hawk Fire, saying it was either intentionally set or accidental. Critical fire weather with hot temperatures and low humidity was expected through the weekend.

In Texas, the Ross Fire was only slightly contained as it churned through ranchland about 60 miles (about 100 kilometers) west of Fort Worth. At least five structures were destroyed, according to officials in Palo Pinto County.

Emergency officials expected the fire to keep growing as temperatures rise.

Rochelle, whose great-grandparents started the canoe rental business in 1969, said the fire also burned a family home built on the property about 100 years ago. Some of the company’s buses and trailers also were destroyed, but the canoes appeared OK for now.

“I don’t know what we’re going to do now,” said her father, Buddy Rochelle.

Authorities opened evacuation centers, some schools canceled classes and ranchers and a livestock commission offered barns to temporarily hold animals in need of evacuation.