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Wildfires scorch landscape, leave 3 dead

OKLAHOMA CITY, April 10 (UPI) -- Wildfires that swept across North Texas and Oklahoma left three people dead, two small towns destroyed and thousands of acres scorched, officials said Friday.

The fires burned more than 100,000 acres in Texas and destroyed at least 140 buildings in Oklahoma, CNN said.

In Texas, the worst hit area was Montague County, north of Fort Worth near the state line, the Dallas Morning News reported. Many residents of the hamlets of Stoneburg and Sunset were left with little except charred timbers and ash where houses had stood.

"I lost everything," Reina Rodi told The New York Times, as she stared at ceramic angels poking out of the ruins of her house. "I guess we'll just start all over."

Matt Quinn, a retired reporter for WFAA-TV in Dallas, and his wife, Cathy, were killed when fire destroyed their home Thursday. Their son, Chris, was being treated for burns at a Dallas hospital.

Another woman in the county suffered a fatal heart attack as she prepared to evacuate by car, WFAA said.

A breeder lost 11 race horses that died trapped in their stalls.

Many fires continued to burn Friday, although wind speeds dropped slightly in Oklahoma, allowing firefighters to get some blazes under control, The New York Times reported.

Officials said one fire in the Oklahoma City suburb of Midwest City was deliberately set.

Gov. Brad Henry of Oklahoma declared a state of emergency Friday in 31 counties, allowing the process of applying for federal disaster assistance to begin.

Skipper appears unharmed after escape try

MOGADISHU, Somalia, April 10 (UPI) -- The U.S. captain being held by pirates off Somalia appeared to be unharmed Friday after his unsuccessful attempt to escape, U.S. officials said.

The standoff between the pirates, in a lifeboat with Capt. Richard Phillips, and naval vessels was ongoing, the Los Angeles Times said. The Defense Department said two vessels, the destroyer USS Bainbridge and frigate USS Halliburton, were in the vicinity of the lifeboat.

Phillips jumped overboard Friday but was recaptured and pulled back on board the lifeboat, officials said. He apparently planned to swim to the Bainbridge, CNN reported.

Pirates seized the Maersk Alabama Wednesday, but the crew retook the vessel hours later. The vessel was carrying U.S. aid supplies to Mombasa, Kenya.

FBI negotiators were trying to talk to the kidnappers.

U.S. Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, U.S. Central Command commander, said two more ships would be sent to the region, the BBC reported. Petraeus said the added presence would "ensure that we have all the capability that might be needed over the course of the coming days."

French forces kill two pirates

PARIS, April 10 (UPI) -- A French hostage and two pirates died Friday in a rescue operation off the coast of Somalia, French officials said.

CNN reported that four other hostages, including a child, were freed from the hijacked yacht after almost a week of being held captive. The yacht had been seized Saturday in the Gulf of Aden.

CNN said the French military attempted a rescue operation after the pirates refused the French government's offers, including an offer to exchange an officer for the mother and child held aboard.

The news network reported that French media said a French special forces unit attacked the hijacked vessel as it drifted toward the Somali coast. The pirates opened fire and the special forces team fired back at them.

Two of the five pirates were killed, along with Florent Lemacon, the owner of the yacht.

In a statement, French President Nicolas Sarkozy said France won't pay blackmail to pirates, Defense News reported.

FBI investigating phone sabotage

SAN FRANCISCO, April 10 (UPI) -- Police say they are looking for vandals who severed cables and killed telephone and Internet service for tens of thousands of people in California.

The incident killed service to users in Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and San Benito counties, The San Francisco Chronicle reported Friday.

Officials said they finished repairing the damage late Thursday, which left more than 50,000 land line customers without telephone service. The incident affected 911 emergency lines.

Whoever is responsible for the sabotage could find be in serious legal trouble, officials said.

"I pity the individuals who have done this," said San Jose Police Chief Rob Davis.

The Chronicle said 10 fiber-optic cables were cut at four bay Area locations early Thursday morning.

FBI agents, phone company managers and local police are investigating.

"Someone purposely cut these cables," said FBI spokesman Chris Carroll. "They didn't have concern for anyone. We will find who did it."