Destructive TX Wildfires Continue to Burn Out of Control Near Fort Worth

The Eastland County Complex Fire has surpassed the acreage of the devastating 2011 Bastrop Complex Wildfire, making it one of the largest wildfires ever recorded in Texas history. With the addition of three more wildfires on Sunday, the blaze in Central Texas spread to an estimated 54,134 acres and is only 30 percent contained, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.

It now ranks as the 22nd largest wildfire in Texas history, replacing the 2008 Porter Wildfire (51,400 acres), according to a list of the list compiled by the forest service. The Bastrop County Complex Fire, which ranks 36 on the list, is still the most destructive fire in Texas history as it burned approximately 1,700 homes and businesses and killed two people. It spanned approximately 34,068 acres.

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"'Destructiveness' in terms of wildfire can relate to many things, size, structures lost, injuries and lives lost of course, but also livestock lost, miles of fence burned, economic impacts to private and public sectors, sensitive habitat impacted, equipment damaged (think agricultural and utility/oil/gas related), and more," wrote forest service spokesperson Kari Hines in an email.

Forest service spokeswoman Erin O'Connor says its still unclear whether the Eastland Complex fire will also be categorized among the most destructive recorded. O'Connor denied claims made by Gov. Greg Abbott that the fire was "the largest wildfire in Texas history." That ranking is held by the 2006 East Amarillo Complex Fire which covered an estimated 907,245 acres.

The Eastland Complex Fire is composed of seven different fires, the largest being the Kidd Fire (42,333 acres, 40 percent contained). The other adjoining fires include the Blowing Basin Fire (est. 258 acres, 50 percent contained), Cedar Mountain Fire (est. 179 acres, 0 percent contained), Oak Mott Fire (4,031 acres, 75 percent contained), Wheat Field Fire (7,268 acres, 55 percent contained), Mangum Fire (est. 11 acres, 85 percent contained), Walling Fire (383 acres, 100 percent contained).

The flames have destroyed more than 140 structures and killed one person, an Eastland County deputy helping people evacuate.

The effects of the massive wildfire could be felt hundreds of miles away. On Friday, gusty winds blew the scent of smoke and haze to Houston. Causes for the fires have yet to be determined or released, the forest service said.

Firefighters have battled 175 wildfires, which combined to burn nearly 95,000 acres across Texas in the past week alone, the forest service reported Sunday. As of Sunday, there were 23 active wildfires across the state, the largest being the Eastland Complex Fire.

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