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.
