Just when drought conditions seemed to be improving, some wildfires are even burning in the southeast Texas marshland. Jefferson County Sheriff's Deputy Rod Carroll says firefighters responded to about half a dozen blazes Tuesday.
He says the wind-whipped fires destroyed several hundred acres in rural areas. But Carroll says several homes were evacuated before firefighters contained one large blaze. No houses were lost.
Carroll says by Tuesday night some fires were still burning in the marshes because the vegetation is bone-dry. He says fire trucks would get stuck in mud if they tried to reach those areas, so crews must wait for the blazes to burn out unless the flames jump and spread.
The Gulf Coast area is south of Beaumont, about 80 miles east of Houston.
