Fire crews in Central Texas struggled Friday to contain massive, windswept wildfires that burned homes, destroyed a church and left a sheriff's deputy dead.

Strengthened by drought conditions, the fires merged to form what officials call a "complex" that was burning near Eastland, about 120 miles (195 kilometers) west of Dallas. Hundreds of homes were evacuated in smaller communities.

Officials in Eastland County reported the death of a sheriff's deputy, Barbara Fenley, who they said was trying to save people from the fires. It's unclear how or when she died. No other casualties have been repo...