Wild fires fed by high winds and severe drought swept through seven high-end homes on the outskirts of Amarillo in the Texas Panhandle on Monday, bringing to 12 the number of residences destroyed by fires in the area over Memorial Day weekend. More than 2.7 million acres and more than 400 homes have burned across Texas amid severe drought and high winds since November, and two volunteer firefighters have died. Governor Rick Perry last week appealed the federal government’s denial of increased federal assistance for the costs of battling the wildfires.