AUSTIN, Texas (AP) -- Gov. Rick Perry has dispatched two helicopters to assist 14 local and volunteer fire departments battling multiple blazes in North Texas.
The governor said in a statement Sunday that two fires burning in Palo Pinto County had charred 33,000 acres.
A third fire began burning in the Possum Kingdom Lake area, but officials and aircraft kept it from spreading.
Last year, fires twice scorched Possum Kingdom Lake, a picturesque community 75 miles west of Fort Worth. They destroyed about 160 homes there in April 2011 and another 40 homes four months later.
The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported Sunday that firefighters were gaining ground on the latest blazes, which have threatened at least 18 homes. No evacuations had been ordered and there were no reported injuries or damage to structures.
PALO PINTO COUNTY — Fire crews have responded to a third fire burning in Palo Pinto County Sunday.
The fire flared up in the Hog Bend area on the south shore of Possum Kingdom Lake.
The Texas Forest Service said 50 to 60 acres were ablaze, but crews were able to knock down the flames fairly quickly due to the resources already in the area.
About 25 homes were in the process of being evacuated due to the remote location of the neighborhood.
Two other wildfires were still burning out of control in Palo Pinto County on Sunday with 45 percent containment.
If there was any good news, is was that the wind was not making things worse.
But the heat remained a major challenge for firefighters.
The Texas Forest Service has asked for more state help, and even air support, but the agency said those crews are needed even more to fight larger fires in West Texas.
So far, the fires have burned more than 3,700 acres — 1,800 acres in Dark Valley and 1,900 acres at Rhodes Ranch. The Rhodes Ranch fire was said to be 50 percent contained Sunday afternoon; the Dark Valley blaze was about 45 percent contained.
So far, no homes have been damaged.
American Red Cross volunteers were in Palo Pinto County helping firefighters, handing out drinks and snacks to the crews.
