The Governor of Texas has expanded an earlier Wildfire Disaster Declaration to include several more counties including Denton and Kaufman Counties in north Texas, as well as Somervell County where the state’s largest wildfire is burning. The Chalk Mountain Fire has charred about 7,000 acres, and is no more than 20% contained. In all, Texas authorities have responded to 205 wildfires in the last week, and those fires have burned 22,000 acres. Since the first of the year Texas firefighters have responded to 6,800 wildfires that have burned across 600,000 acres. As a result the fire chief for the state’s Division of Emergency Management says fire crews have been working day-after-day in the summer heat, and they’re getting tired.
