Ross Fire has burned in North Texas for three days - The Texas Tribune

The fire started Monday near Palo Pinto and spread with alarming speed through dry ranchland west of the Metroplex. By Tuesday it had doubled in size within a matter of hours, jumping to around 50,000 acres. By Wednesday that number had climbed past 80,000.

Firefighters on the ground have reported extreme fire behavior, including trees torching in groups as strong winds pushed the flames across open rangeland. Rural residents in the affected areas have been advised to evacuate, though no injuries have been reported as of the latest update.

West Texas knows this story. The same dry conditions, the same fast-moving fire on open grassland, the same helpless feeling of watching acreage numbers climb hour by hour. Folks in Lubbock have seen fires eat through the South Plains before, and Palo Pinto County is close enough that the smoke has been visible across a wide stretch of the state.

The scale of what has burned in three days is difficult to picture. For reference, 85,000 acres is larger than the entire city of Lubbock.