Texas Wildfire Destroys 50 Homes, Prompting Evacuation as Severe Fire Continues

A Texas wildfire has destroyed 50 homes, with nearly 500 others evacuated in central Texas. One person was also killed as the wildfire burned more than 45,000 acres.

The Texas wildfire has been ravaging west of the Dallas-Fort Worth area, with the fire named the Eastland Complex fire, according to The New York Times report.

The Eastland Complex fire started on Thursday evening. Authorities noted that a deputy with the Eastland County Sherriff's Office, Barbara Fenley, died while helping people escape.

The Texas A&M Forest Service said on Twitter that the blaze was 15 percent contained as of Friday evening.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said that the fire remained dangerous due to "ever-shifting winds" and dry ground.

Abbott added that part of what the firefighters are fighting is the fire, while the other part is the weather and the winds.

Ben Oakley, EMS chief of Blanco County, noted that severe conditions required a substantial amount of resources from Travis County.

Oakley noted that the big lesson is if evacuations are needed, people need to have a plan to evacuate their families quickly, according to a KXAN news report.

Texas Wildfire: Eastland Complex Fire

In Blaco County, charred and smoky grass were the only extent of the damage in the area.

Meanwhile, up north in Eastland County, towns like Carbon were decimated. Firefighters continued battling those wildfires on Sunday, with around 30 percent of some 54,000 acres burning contained.

Most of Texas remains under severe weather watch on Monday.

Meanwhile, Hood County Fire Marshal Jeff Young said that the fire moved at about the speed of the wind at 20 mph, which made stopping it more difficult.

Young said that the grass and the fire were burning so fast that they were having a hard time catching it.

He noted that they cannot get any guys right up in front of it as they were going to get overrun by the fire, according to an WFFA News report.

Young said that the fire expanded from 200 acres to 3,400 in just two hours. It is still unclear how it started.

The city of Tolar was initially under evacuation orders. However, Hood County officials said that order was later on removed.

The National Weather Service issued an evacuation order for residents of Bluff Dale along County Road 148.

Madison Gordon, a meteorologist with the NWS, said that the Eastland Complex blaze was the first wildfire of such magnitude to affect Texas this year.

Gordon noted that the wildfire is "definitely one to pay attention to."

The Eastland Complex fire has four blazes that have burned parts of Comanche and Eastland Counties.

The largest among the fires was the Kidd Fire, which burned at least 30,000 acres as of Friday,

The Houston Health Department advised residents to stay indoors on Friday, particularly those with respiratory issues.

Smoke from the wildfire can cause health problems, such as burning eyes, chronic heart, and lung disease, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Texas wildfire latest: Growing fire in Hood County prompts evacuations - from WFAA