Palo Pinto County Wildfire Now 50 Percent Contained

GRAFORD (CBSDFW.COM) - A mandatory evacuation is still in place for some of the areas surrounding Possum Kingdom Lake in Palo Pinto County. Residents are being asked to stay away while fire crews continue to battle a massive wildfire that started at about 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday afternoon in the town of Graford.

The fire has consumed more than 6,000 acres of land, destroying 39 homes and 9 mobile homes, with another 400 homes still threatened. But 50 percent of the wildfire has been contained as of late Thursday morning, and crews hope to have it entirely contained by the end of the day. Some roads in the area may even be reopened soon.

Smoke on the horizon has become a familiar sight in Palo Pinto County this summer. "It's not far-fetched to say we've burned half of our county off," said Palo Pinto County Sheriff Ira Mercer. This same area of western North Texas watched more than 150,000 acres of land become scorched by wildfires back in April.

The Cliffs Resort was one of the areas that was spared in the April fires. Residents in that gated community were not so lucky this time. More than 135 firefighters, seven fixed-wing aircrafts and several helicopters battled flames in the resort on Wednesday afternoon.

Larry Anderson, a retired Dallas Deputy Fire Chief, is just one of those people who lost his home. "This wall of fire engulfed us," he said. The flames cut off his only escape route on land, so he and many other residents had to flee the blaze by boating across the lake.

In addition to homes, the Cliffs Resort also lost a guard shack, sales office and most of the trees and brush surrounding the lakeside golf course. More than two dozen structures at the community have been reduced to ashes. "They're not all down. It's sporadic," Mercer said. "It burned some and then the one right next to it will be fine."

Paul Jackson spoke to CBS 11 News on the phone on Thursday morning. He actually lost two homes to the fire, after not losing anything back in April. "We lost our home where we live and we have a house that we rent that we lost also," Jackson said. He was not able to recover anything from the homes before being evacuated. "Weren't quite as lucky."

"When you get the kinds of winds and gusts that are up to 20-25 miles per hour, it creates problems," said Texas Forest Service spokesman John Nichols. Meteorologists said that the temperature in Palo Pinto County was 104 degrees when the fire started, and the soil around Possum Kingdom Lake is at one percent of the normal moisture level after severe statewide drought.

Those strong winds, however, will hopefully decrease on Thursday. "As winds die down, then [fire crews] will definitely start to look at areas ahead of the fire, where they might be able to have a better chance of stopping," explained Joe Kozlowski with the Texas Forest Service.

Dry vegetation has provided fuel for the blaze, so firefighters worked hard on Wednesday to remove any remaining shrubbery, in an attempt to protect any structures still standing after all this devastation. "It's just charred. The trees are gone, so much of the beauty is gone," said evacuated resident Sharon Harveston.

Emergency crews are lifting the evacuation order, at least temporarily, to let some homeowners check on their property. Many of those who have been evacuated are still not sure what has happened to their homes, if anything.

The American Red Cross is on-hand in Palo Pinto County to assist residents who lost their homes, residents who have been evacuated and the fire crews who are battling the blaze in extreme heat. "If they need the Red Cross, then they have help," explained Anita Foster of the American Red Cross. "We just want to make sure that, as an emergency response agency, that people know we're there and help is available."

If you would like to help the American Red Cross in their relief efforts, text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation.