Firefighters gain some control over deadly Texas blaze

US: Firefighters gained ground on Wednesday for the first time against a deadly wildfire raging near Austin that has destroyed more homes than any other blaze in Texas history, officials said.

The 34,356-acre (14,000-hectare) Bastrop County Complex fire, which has forced the evacuation of 5,000 people, was about 30 percent contained. The fire has destroyed 785 homes, the Texas Forest Service reported, and killed two people.

County officials have given a lower number for homes destroyed.

Firefighters who have fought the blaze, which stretches 24 miles long (39 km) and 20 miles (32 km) wide, since Sunday have been helped in the past two days by decreased winds and cooler temperatures, officials said.

More than 3.6 million acres (1.45 million hectares) in Texas have been scorched by wildfires since November, fed by a drought that has caused more than $5 billion in damage to the state’s agricultural industry and that shows no sign of easing.

Bastrop, Texas,Thursday, Reuters