07/09/2011 12:42
Texas wildfires force thousands to flee
Crews in Texas Tuesday battled dozens of wildfires that have destroyed more than 700 homes in just two days and forced thousands to flee thick smoke and flames, AFP reported.
"This is one of the meanest fires I've ever seen," Texas Governor Rick Perry told reporters after an aerial tour of the homes destroyed in the Steiner Ranch subdivision. "The magnitudes of these losses are pretty stunning."
The fires have been fanned by winds from a tropical depression that hit the southern United States over the weekend and have flared across ground left tinder dry by an intense summer drought, killing at least two people.