The Texas Forest Service said Wednesday that the wildfires around Possum Kingdom Lake are fully contained.
Milder weather helped crews get the PK Complex under control sooner than expected. Lower winds and higher humidity helped firefighters gain the upper hand.
The Texas Forest Service said nearly 127,000 acres burned and 167 homes and two churches have been destroyed on the complex of four fires burning near Possum Kingdom Lake, Caddo, Strawn and Bunger.
Lessons Learned From the PK Fire
The Texas Forest Service has started to look into why some homes in and around Possum Kingdom Lake have burned and others haven't.
"A fire like this can produce a tremendous amount of heat and a tremendous amount of embers that fly thought the air, they can get carried up to a mile in advance of the fire," said Justice Jones with the Texas Forest Service.
What they've found in Sportsman's World is that home construction has a lot to do with why some homes are still standing.
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Jones found homes and roofs made of non-combustible materials, such as tile and aluminum roofs or homes made mainly of stone or masonry were harder for the fire to destroy.
The Forest Service also recommends keeping plants and greenery at least 30 feet away from the home. "When you plan your landscape, do so with vegetation that's fire resistant and you have non-combustible building material and things around your home that won't readily burn," said Jones.
Another recommendation is to have screens behind the vents near the roof of the home or no vents at all. the Texas Forest Service says those vents are an easy place for an ember to blow and start a fire inside the attic of the home.
More: Texas Forest Service
