WILDFIRES IN TEXAS, thought to have started when a homeless man left a campfire unattended, are creeping closer to the more densely populated Fort Worth-Dallas area.
Reuters reports that several small communities and one jail have been evacuated since the fires broke out near Possum Kingdom Lake in the north of the state. A number of roads in the area and boat access to the lake have been closed.
A statewide drought, high temperatures and winds have helped fuel the flames. The weather forecast for today suggests a 20 to 30 per cent chance of rain over some of the affected areas, but forecasters said that even without rain, the situation was beginning to look more positive.
The Texas Forest Service says that about 150 homes, one church and some 150,000 acres have been destroyed in the blaze.
Texan authorities have charged one man with arson, believing he defied a ban on lighting fires in the open and left a campfire unattended, igniting the major blaze.
- Additional reporting by the AP
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