Wildfires burn across the South

Texas Forest Service responds to new fires across the stateSmoke continues to cover skies in Florida and Georgia41 fires burn across the country, says Fire Center

Dallas (CNN) -- A new fire in Texas forced home evacuations and consumed hundreds of acres, while fires in other states across the southwest and southeast challenged firefighters' efforts to contain them.

The Texas Forest Service responded to a new wildfire Thursday in Wheeler County in the Texas panhandle and expects more critical fire weather conditions across the west and northwest parts of the state, said the service in their daily report Friday.

The fire, although 90 percent contained, covered 500 acres and forced evacuation of three homes, the report said.

The Texas Forest Service and fire departments have battled 12,779 fires that burned more than 3 million acres since the beginning of fire season on Nov. 15, 2010. The report stated that 228 of Texas' 254 counties have burn bans in place.

In Florida, satellite pictures showed the extent of the fires' reach through blankets of smoke that covered much of Florida, parts of Georgia and some of the Atlantic Ocean. There are currently 14 active fires in rural Florida and Georgia, which have eaten up thousands of acres, according to the National Interagency Fire Center.

Currently, 41 active fires exist across the southwest and southeast. Firefighters contained eight fires Thursday, one in Arizona, Oklahoma and Florida and five in Texas, according to the NIFC.

CNN