Texas wildfire burns over 500 acres near Possum Kingdom Lake

An ongoing wildfire near Possum Kingdom Lake was a scary sight for some residents as over 300 people were evacuated from the area Monday night. At least eight homes were believed to be destroyed, though officials are still assessing the damage. “You could see everything burning even though it looked like it had died down — there were still flames, a lot of flames,” said Gary Benson of Houston, whose father-in-law lives near Possum Kingdom Lake in Palo Pinto County. The fire near the North Texas lake, named the 1148 fire because of its proximity to Farm-to-Market Road 1148, has burned over 500 acres as of Tuesday afternoon. The Texas A&M Forest Service said the fire was 10% contained amid near-record heat and severe drought conditions. Adam Turner, a public information officer for the Forest Service, said the fire started around noon Monday. The forest service was called out to assist around 2 p.m., Turner said.

Turner said it is believed the fire started near the north shore of the lake, about 80 miles west of Fort Worth. Its cause is under investigation, though officials said it wasn’t believed to be intentionally set. “We are experiencing dry fuels to a level that we haven’t seen in the past ten years,” Turner said. “Any spark that lands in tall grass or even lands in some short grass right now is liable to spark.” Over 100 personnel and 20 to 30 volunteers are in the fight against the blaze, Turner said Tuesday. No injuries have been reported. Westlake Chapel, a church near the lake that served as a shelter for evacuees, made space for about 11 people who were mainly campers. Teresa Jones, the church’s treasurer, said about 10 more people were outside the church watching air tankers and helicopters pouring over 3,000 gallons of water over the fire every two minutes.