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.

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.Dangerous fire conditions 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.Wildfires have been popping up across the South and the West in recent days as extremely dry conditions persist. A dozen new large fires 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 were making 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 (… 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.

“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. “I don’t know how our house survived,” she said. Dangerous fire conditions allowed the blaze to shoot up faster than anyone could have imagined, officials with Palo Pinto County’s emergency services district reported.

Wildfires have been popping up across the South and the West in recent days as extremely dry conditions persist. 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 were making 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 squ…