The evacuation orders that sent hundreds of people fleeing their homes in the Amarillo area have been lifted, but almost a dozen homes have been destroyed by flames. Here’s the AP story fresh off the wire.
AMARILLO, Texas (AP) - At least 11 homes in the Texas Panhandle town of Amarillo have been destroyed as two wildfires burned on the city's outskirts. Texas Forest Service spokesman Marq Webb says the fires began burning in the early evening hours Sunday. He says low humidity, temperatures in the 100s and high winds created favorable conditions for fires. He says firefighters were battling wildfires Monday across Texas, where about 2.8 million acres have burned since November. Forest Service spokespeople say the fire on the southern edge of Amarillo destroyed four homes and damaged four others. The fire of about 200 acres was about 90 percent contained on Monday. The 1,243-acre fire to the north that destroyed seven homes was about 80 percent contained on Monday. Evacuations orders have been lifted both areas.
You can see some dramatic images of the fires in this slideshow on the Amarillo Globe-News website .
Several YouTube users uploaded their own videos of the wildfires, like the one above.
