West Texas fire destroys 7 homes

HAWLEY, TX The Sanderosa blaze was not under control late Thursday and was only about 20 percent contained, said Nick Harrison, a spokesman for the Texas Forest Service. Firefighters used bulldozers to dig up the ground and cut down grass and brush that helped fuel the fire. He said the fire was northeast of the Hawley area and is about five miles north of Abilene.

"There's no increase in acreage at this time. We're pulling the bulldozer crews to give them rest. We hope to have the crews back on the fire early in the morning about 8 a.m," Harrison said early Friday.

He said local fire departments would have crews patrolling the fire overnight.

No injuries had been reported and the cause was unknown.

Meanwhile, fires blazed in other parts of West Texas. In nearby Albany, the Texas Forest Service assisted with a 1,000-acre blaze, Harrison said. The other was a 300-acre fire to the southeast in Brown County.

Abilene is about 175 miles west of Dallas.

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