A fast-burning grass fire Tuesday afternoon forced people to flee several subdivisions at Possum Kingdom Lake, including some that suffered severe damage when wildfires raged through the area in April.
The fire had burned about 3,000 acres by 5 p.m., officials said.At least 10 fire departments and eight air tankers are being used to fight the blaze, said April Saginor, a spokeswoman with the Texas Forest Service.One injury was reported, but it's unknown whether the victim is a firefighter or a civilian, said Linda Calvin, Palo Pinto County sheriff's dispatcher.Calvin said that every community on the southeast side of the lake along Texas 16 from U.S. 180 to Farm Road 2353 has been evacuated. That includes Gaines Bend, Fortune Bend, Garland Bend, The Cliffs and Sportsman's World.Gaines Bend and Sportsman's World were among the subdivisions that suffered serious damage during the April fires, when 167 homes around the lake were destroyed.At least 30 homes are immediately threatened, Saginor said."The flame lengths are 20 to 30 feet tall," Saginor said. "It does look like we are making some progress."Julie Prespentt, a waitress at Possum Hollow Restaurant and Lodge said she first saw what looked like flames across the lake about 1 p.m."You can see smoke if you look to the east," she said about 4:30 p.m. "It's extremely smokey. We're probably a little northwest of this fire, and across the lake.""We're not worried because we have the lake in between us [and the fire] this time. There's no way we could be affected by this fire. I sure hope the people across the lake who are in it are OK."Terry Evans, 817-390-7620
