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Winter Wildfire Concerns Grow As Dry Conditions Continue

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Concerns over wildfires are growing in the Texas Panhandle, as the state moves deeper into an unusually dry winter.

As The Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports,meteorologists are warning that conditions are once again unusually ripe for fires across the region. The La Nina weather phenomenon is leading forecasters to predict dry, unusually warm weather in Texas—perfect conditions for grass fires.

An extra helping of rain earlier this year make the problem even worse, because the extra moisture led to unusually copious grass growth. That flowing green grass is now turning to brittle yellow kindling. George Teague, Emergency Coordinator for Parker County, warned that even a tiny fire “can turn into multiple acres in 10 to 15 minutes."

There is good news: firefighters are now able to respond much faster than they could 20 years ago.