A destructive fire in Palo Pinto County has burned more than 500 acres and reportedly destroyed at least eight homes as of Tuesday morning, authorities said.

The Texas A&M Forest Service is assisting a response to the large fire, called the 1148 Fire, at Possum Kingdom Lake, 80 miles west of Fort Worth, where homes were evacuated and caught ablaze.

According to the Forest Service, 10% of the fire had been contained as of Tuesday morning.

NBC DFW initially reported more than 50 homes were evacuated. The Red Cross set up a shelter and resource center at the Westlake Chapel on the west side of the lake, KXAS-TV reported.

Officials later said that at least eight homes have been destroyed, but no injuries have been reported.

Keith and Vee Hanssen told WFAA-TV on Monday night that they watched from a boat on the lake as crews battled the blaze.

“It’s very intense when you can see it from the water’s edge,” Keith Hanssen said.

‘It’s scary,” Vee Hanssen told WFAA. “We pulled up to docks to talk to people just to see how they were doing.”

The couple told WFAA that there are few permanent residents in the area. They own Possum Kingdom Real Estate and sold vacation homes all around the lake.

“A lot of clients and a lot of friends,” Keith said. “We’re trying to send them pictures and updates and the unknown is always the worst part of it.”

It is unclear how the fire started.

Somervell County fire

Another large wildfire is burning about 45 miles southwest of Fort Worth in Somervell County, near Glen Rose, and has grown to about 4,000 acres at 10% containment as of Tuesday morning.

The Chalk Mountain Fire started Monday between the community of Chalk Mountain and Dinosaur Valley State Park.

The Somervell County wildfire has burned an unknown number of homes and other structures. The Forest Service said Tuesday that crews were working to contain the fire to prevent it from spreading to more structures.

The county fire department told WFAA that crews also have been working to relocate animals threatened by the fire. The county issued a disaster declaration.

The Red Cross has opened a shelter at the Somervell County Expo Center.

The fire created a pyrocumulus cloud that could be seen on radar Monday.

Wildfire risk

The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning for a risk of wildfires in north and central Texas. These are precautionary warnings when weather conditions have a combination of strong winds, low relative humidity and dry vegetation, the warning said.

The warning is in effect from 10 a.m. Tuesday to midnight Wednesday.

Winds will blow from the southwest at nearly 15 mph with gusts up to 25 mph, the warning said. The relative humidity is predicted to be as low as 14% with temperatures from 103 to 112 degrees.

“Avoid all outside burning and welding,” the warning said. “Do not toss lit cigarette butts outside. Report wildfires to the nearest fire department or law enforcement office.”

Also, an excessive heat warning is in effect until 9 p.m. Wednesday as high temperatures are forecast near 110 both days, according to the weather service.

This story was originally published July 18, 2022 at 6:48 PM.