At least 8,500 acres of Texas land have burned since Aug. 1. The governor’s disaster declaration allows included counties to access state resources to fight wildfires.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is kicking off holiday festivities at several state parks this week.

A fire that started in Bastrop State Park is no longer growing, but authorities are still watching for “smoldering” and “creeping” flames as of Thursday morning.

Controlled burns, used to prevent catastrophic wildfires, are typically safe and rarely get out of control. Experts warn that burns gone awry can scare residents and compromise the critical fire management tool.

A wildfire whipped by gusty winds in a Central Texas state park has forced the evacuation of dozens of homes in the city of Bastrop, the site of a deadly blaze a decade ago.

According to the Bastrop County Office of Emergency Management, the fire started near the 100 block of Park Road 1A road near the entrance to Bastrop State Park.