INTERNATIONAL: Wildfires have wiped out 86 homes and a majority of the small town of Carbon, Texas, as four fires west of Dallas have burned 54,000 acres , about 22,000 hectares and have also killed a sheriff's deputy who was helping people flee.

The four fires, designated as the Eastland Complex, have raged since Wednesday or Thursday in Eastland County, about 190 kilometres west of Dallas, and were about 30 percent contained, the Texas A&M Fire Service have said on Saturday.

About 85 percent of Carbon, with a population of 225, was burned. Driven by strong winds and feasting on dry brush, the fires have consumed most of Carbon within three hours.

Governor Greg Abbott on Friday has declared a disaster in 11 Texas counties and has also ordered flags to be lowered to half-staff in Eastland County in honor of the sheriff's deputy Barbara Fenley, his office has announced.

Fenley had driven on Thursday to check on an elderly person as part of her official duties. With the extreme deteriorating conditions and low visibility from smoke, Sergeant Fenley ran off the roadway and was engulfed in the fire.