McLean, Texas ? Stiff winds pushed wildfires deeper into the parched Texas Panhandle on Wednesday, threatening six small towns and prompting authorities to urge 3,000 people to evacuate their homes.

State officials recommended that residents flee ahead of the flames, but local leaders had not made the evacuations mandatory.

There were 10 active fires Wednesday, and firefighters responded to more than 200 new blazes for a second consecutive day.

As the fires advanced into the northeast corner of the Panhandle, state authorities urged people to leave the communities of Lipscomb, Higgins, Barton Corner, Booker, Darrouzett and Follett.