GREGORY, Texas — Thick smoke and the smell of ash still hang over Gregory after a fast-moving wildfire tore through cotton fields and homes Wednesday afternoon.

“It was bad — we couldn’t breathe. You couldn’t see. Your eyes burned, and your lungs were burning,” said resident and volunteer Kevin Hendricks, who helped fight the flames.

Hendricks drove Kris 6 to the field behind the Gregory Cotton Gin, where he says the fire began. What started as a small spark erupted into a firestorm, consuming acres of cotton and nearby houses. Wildfire destroys homes, chokes Gregory in smoke and ash

“What’s it like to see this devastation? It’s sad. It’s heartbreaking,” Hendricks said. “People work hard for what they have — and even if they barely have anything — just to see it destroyed... it’s horri

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