Texas Ross Fire Grows to 80,000 Acres, Forcing Evacuations
The wind-driven blaze near Fort Worth nearly doubled in size overnight as crews battle a string of major wildfires across the West.
A wind-whipped grass fire near Fort Worth, Texas, rapidly grew overnight to 80,000 acres, triggering evacuations and road closures in two counties, officials said.
The Ross Fire is the latest in a series of wildfires across the West and Northwest. It was 12% contained Wednesday morning, up from 5% a day earlier, as it continued spreading north into neighboring Jack County, where more residents have been advised to evacuate.
The fire grew from about 50,000 acres Tuesday to 80,000 acres by Wednesday, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service. "Firefighters are prioritizing life safety and structure protection, while working to establish containment lines where conditions safely allow," the agency said in a statement.
The fire started around 1:30 p.m. local time Monday near Palo Pinto, about 60 miles west of Fort Worth, according to the Palo Pinto Emergency Services Department. Its cause remains under investigation.
In Nevada, firefighters are gaining ground on the Hawk Fire near Reno, which has burned more than 15,000 acres, destroyed at least 47 homes and seriously damaged eight others since igniting over the weekend. Seven people, including three first responders, have been injured. Containment rose from 27% Tuesday to 85% by Wednesday morning, and the number of people under evacuation orders has dropped from 42,000 to about 5,000. Officials suspect the fire was human-caused but have not determined whether it was intentional.
In Washington state, 15 large uncontained fires have burned a combined 800,000 acres. The largest, the Sinlahekin Fire in Okanogan County and the Little Giant Fire in Chelan County, have burned more than 155,000 and 147,500 acres respectively; neither threatens homes. A state forestry spokesperson said Washington is having its third-worst fire season by acreage since 2015. Earlier this month, fires in Spokane caused an estimated $1 billion in damage and destroyed more than 800 homes; a 37-year-old man has been arrested and charged with starting one of them.
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