Date: 13-May-14
Country: USA
Author: Jon Herskovitz

A wildfire in the Texas panhandle that destroyed about 100 homes and prompted the evacuation of hundreds of people over the weekend has largely been brought under control, fire officials said on Monday.

"We are hoping that with enough crews today, later today, we will get it contained," said Monte Leggett, police chief in the town of Fritch.

He said the fire, which started Sunday afternoon about 30 miles (50 kms) northeast of Amarillo and burned about 1,500 acres (600 hectares), was now about 75 percent contained.

There were no reports of injuries or deaths. Dozens of people forced from their homes spent the night in a high school gym, he said.

The cause of the fire has not been determined. The area has been suffering from a drought that has raised the risk of wildfires.

(Editing by Scott Malone and Bernadette Baum)

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