06:13 PM CST on Sunday, January 1, 2006

WFAA-TV Staff

WFAA-TV

Wildfires swept across Eastland County on Sunday.

The danger of unwelcome wildfires increased as North Texans welcomed the new year.

At one point Sunday afternoon, as many as 15 wildfires raged across the state today, nine of them in North Texas. One of the biggest was in Eastland County, west of Palo Pinto County.

Thick white smoke stretched across the skies and could be seen for miles. The flames spread quickly, but never threatened any homes.

As firefighters and other emergency workers descended on Eastland County, we found ranchers herding cows to safety near the small town of Romney.

Many neighbors could only watch in shock. "They'll be lucky if they can get it put out for a while, because it's spread out too far," said cattle rancher M.L. Collins.

There was no word on what sparked the fires in Eastland County, but every county in North Texas remained under a burn ban. The region was also under a Red Flag Warning until 7 p.m. Sunday issued by the National Weather Service. The red flag signals a very high fire danger due to dry and windy conditions.

WFAA-TV

Smoke from wildfires showed up on DopplerNet radar late Sunday afternoon.

In White Settlement, flames threatened a complex of apartments and nearby homes. Fire marshals said a transformer might have sparked the blaze, which quickly traveled up a hill toward the residential area.

Fire officials said residents did not need to worry about the fire reigniting anywhere, because it already burned all the fuel it had access to.

WFAA-TV reporter Carol Cavazos in White Settlement contributed to this report.