Texas Wildfire May Have Doubled in Size

DALLAS -- A Texas official says a wildfire burning less than 100 miles from the Dallas-Fort Worth area could be twice as big as previous estimates.

Texas Forest Service spokesman Marq Webb says the fire burning Tuesday near Possum Kingdom Lake may have grown to about 120,000 acres. It was previously estimated at 63,000 acres.

The Possum Kingdom fire would be the fifth of at least 100,000 acres around Texas. The state is managing about 1,500 firefighters battling blazes that have consumed more than 1,000 square miles of parched Texas ranchland.

The agency says at least 32 homes have been destroyed in the recreational area about 70 miles west of Fort Worth.

Firefighting conditions are likely to be difficult Tuesday, with high temperatures in the 90s and strong winds..

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U.S. Wildfires

A wildfire flares up on the west side of Possum Kingdom Lake, Texas, Saturday, April 16.

LM Otero, AP

U.S. Wildfires

In this April 15, 2011 satellite image release by NASA, wildfires are seen throughout the state of Texas. On Monday, April 18, 2011 in east Texas, near the Louisiana border, new blazes broke out in an area known for its thick forests, sometimes called the Piney Woods. About 3,000 acres have burned in the area, Texas Forest Service spokesman Marq Webb said. (AP Photo/NASA)

U.S. Wildfires

Debris and burned trees are shown on Monday, April 18, 2011, a day after a massive wildfire ravaged the Austin, Texas, wildfire. The fire damaged at least 21 homes. (AP Photo/April Castro)

U.S. Wildfires

Debris and burned trees are shown on Monday, April 18, 2011, a day after a massive wildfire ravaged the Austin, Texas, wildfire. The fire damaged at least 21 homes. (AP Photo/April Castro)

U.S. Wildfires

Debris and burned trees are shown on Monday, April 18, 2011, a day after a massive wildfire ravaged the Austin, Texas, wildfire. The fire damaged at least 21 homes. (AP Photo/April Castro)

U.S. Wildfires

Residents of southwest Austin return to their homes Monday, April 18, 2011, a day after being evacuated due to a massive wildfire, Austin, Texas. The fire damaged at least 21 homes. (AP Photo/April Castro)

U.S. Wildfires

David and Kris Griffin take in the damage of their home Monday, April 18, 2011, a day after a massive wildfire in Austin, Texas. The Griffins returned home from out-of-town weekend trips on Monday to find that their house was one of at least 20 in their Austin neighborhood destroyed or nearly destroyed by a weekend wildfire. (AP Photo/April Castro)

U.S. Wildfires

David Griffin take in the damage of his home Monday, April 18, 2011, a day after a massive wildfire in Austin, Texas. Griffin and his wife returned home from out-of-town weekend trips on Monday to find that their house was one of at least 20 in their Austin neighborhood destroyed or nearly destroyed by a weekend wildfire. (AP Photo/April Castro)

U.S. Wildfires

David and Kris Griffin take in the damage of their home Monday, April 18, 2011, a day after a massive wildfire in Austin, Texas. The Griffins Griffin returned home from out-of-town weekend trips on Monday to find that their house was one of at least 20 in their Austin neighborhood destroyed or nearly destroyed by a weekend wildfire. (AP Photo/April Castro)

U.S. Wildfires

Damage from a massive wildfire in Austin, Texas is seen Monday, April 18, 2011. The blaze destroyed 10 homes in the affected area and significantly damaged 10 others, and those numbers were likely to rise as fire officials continued searching the affected area, said Austin Fire Department spokesman Palmer Buck. (AP Photo/April Castro)

U.S. Wildfires