Texas' out-of-control wildfires: By the numbers

Texas is suffering one of America's worst outbreaks of wildfires since the state's ruinous fire season of 2006. The driest March in recorded history has left vast swaths of the Lone Star state a "massive tinderbox that has exploded with devastating effect" and, unless the weather ushers in a rainy season, the destruction will likely continue. Here, a look at some stats behind the blazes:

654

Number of fires that have raged out of control in West Texas so far this year

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167

Total number of wildfires the state experienced in 2010

916 square miles

Total area of land scorched by the blazes so far in 2011

189

Number of homes burnt to ashes by the fires so far in 2011, including 60 that were destroyed just last weekend

60 percent

Portion of Texas currently experiencing "extreme or exceptional" drought conditions

1/1500th of an inch

The amount of rainfall that Greenville, Texas, received during March. The seasonal average is 3.67 inches.

90 degrees

Average temperature in western Texas over the past month, roughly 20 degrees higher than usual

50 mph

The speed of the "howling winds" that have helped push the fires out of control

33

Number of states that have lent Texas firefighters or equipment so far this year

3,000 square miles

Total area of land scorched by blazes in March 2006, the deadliest wildfire month in Texas history

413

Number of homes destroyed in March 2006

11

Number of people killed in March 2006

Number of people killed this year

Sources: Associated Press, Huffington Post, MSNBC, Christian Science Monitor