Texas wildfires destroy 1,000 homes

More than 1,000 homes have been destroyed in dozens of wildfires across Texas.

Governor Rick Perry said more than 100,000 acres of land have burned in the drought-stricken state.

Nearly 600 of the torched homes were in Bastrop County, 25 miles from Austin in a blaze that was still uncontained.

Calmer winds were expected to help in the battle against wildfires that flared up when strong winds fed by Tropical Storm Lee swept across Texas over the weekend.

Texas Forest Service said it was too early to say how much progress was made fighting the wildfire in Bastrop County overnight. The agency says the fire has grown to 30,000 acres.

“It’s encouraging we don’t have winds right now, not like yesterday,” a spokeswoman said.

Even with the encouraging conditions, she said it was a “tough, tough fire” that was raging through rugged terrain, including a ridge of hills.

“You can still see the hills glowing quite a bit,” she said.

At least 5,000 people were forced from their homes in Bastrop County, and about 400 were in emergency shelters.