8 September 2011 Last updated at 01:41 ET

Texas wildfires: Your pictures

Big cloud of smoke above road. Photo: Kerri West

Firefighters in drought-stricken Texas, US, are struggling to contain a 16-mile-wide (26-km) wildfire that has destroyed almost 500 homes. Officials said the fire had "grown considerably". Kerri West: "This is taken on the edge of Bastrop, Texas. It literally looks like a volcano has erupted over the town." Photo: Kerri West

Cloud of smoke above a road. Photo: Kerri West.

Kerri West: "The smoke cloud is actually so big that I can see it from my flat in Round Rock, Austin, Texas (50 miles away)." Photo: Kerri West.

Helicopter on horizon, smoke and flames rising near urban area

Anna Culina took this picture on Sunday 4 September of the fire in Steiner Ranch in Austin, Texas. Helicopters can be seen dropping water onto the fire.

Jenn Caraway: "I have not been immediately affected by the fires in Bastrop, Texas as I live well northwest of the area - but I deeply empathize with the plight of those who have lost everything. I am especially concerned for the safety of the firefighters, as my uncle is a firefighter in Houston." Photo: Jenn Caraway

Scores of fires are burning across Texas, which has been hit by high winds generated by Tropical Storm Lee. Photo: Rey Reyes

Rey Reyes: "I took this photo from my rooftop in Bastrop, near Austin. Some family friends came to stay with us after being evacuated. All they could bring in the time they had were the clothes on their backs and a few important documents. The winds were up to 50mph."

Jim Minto: "Every 10 or 15 minutes there would be a tremendous explosion followed by a huge plume of black smoke. We were evacuated from Bastrop, when a mandatory order came in." Photo: Jim Minto

This was the scene on the highway just outside of Bastrop, Texas. Photo: Wendy Moore.

Anna Marshall: "This picture was taken scarily close to my home in Austin, Texas. The fires were probably less than a mile away." Photo: Anna Marshall

Todd Rainer: "With the drought conditions we already were in grave danger of fires here in Houston, and then Tropical Lee storm kicked up these winds which exacerbated the problem." Photo: Todd Rainer and Lisa Combest

Teresa Jackson: "It was scary to see a fire like that even from a distance. It makes me sad to see all of the homes that have burned and livestock that have perished. There is a huge fire burning northwest of Houston that burned many homes. It is the town of Magnolia." Photo: Teresa Jackson

Helicopters flying overhead in Bastrop County, south-east of the state capital, Austin. Photo: Rey Reyes. Send your photos to yourpics@bbc.co.uk. For terms and conditions visit bbc.co.uk/terms