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Wildfire burns homes around lake in Texas amid high heat
GRAFORD, Texas (AP) — A wildfire has burned several homes and prompted calls for voluntary evacuations around a lake in north Texas amid sweltering temperatures and dry conditions, authorities said.
The fire at Possum Kingdom Lake about 95 miles (153 kilometers) west of Dallas began Monday afternoon, has burned about 500 acres (202 hectares) and was 10% contained late Monday, the Texas A&M Forest Service said.
No injuries have been reported and the cause was under investigation.
Forest Service spokesperson Adam Turner told reporters at the scene that drought conditions in the region have left the area ripe for fire. At least eight homes were evacuated, Turner said.
The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag fire warning for the area for Tuesday in addition to an excessive heat warning with high temperatures near 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius).
“We are experiencing dry fuels to a level that we haven’t seen in the past ten years,” Turner said. “Any spark that lands in tall grass or even lands in some short grass right now is liable to spark.”
Forest Service officials did not immediately return a phone call for comment early Tuesday.
Wildfires and intense heat in Texas and some other parts of the United States come as unusually hot, dry weather has gripped large swaths of Europe since last week, triggering wildfires from Portugal to the Balkans and leading to hundreds of heat-related deaths.