Dozens of local, county and state crews were struggling to contain a cluster of wildfires about 120 miles west of Fort Worth on Friday. Fueled by wind and dry conditions, the largest of the fires had swelled to over 45,000 acres, burning dozens of homes, forcing evacuations in Abilene and other towns, and killing a sheriff’s deputy who was helping people flee.
At a news conference Friday evening, Gov. Greg Abbott signed a disaster declaration for 11 counties and said more could be added as the situation develops.
Strong winds and drought conditions have created challenges for firefighters battling the blaze, Abbott said. Aircrafts are flying over the affected areas as part of containment efforts, a measure that powerful winds prevented on Thursday, Abbott said.
