ENCINO -- Firefighters worked long into the night to control a pair of fires that erupted in Brooks County.

Local fire officials say they brought the blazes under control shortly after midnight. The fires ripped through an estimated 1,200 acres of brush, starting Wednesday afternoon. Authorities evacuated more than 150 people from their homes in the Encino area as they combated these fires.

The fires destroyed a pair of mobile homes and claimed the lives of two dogs, said Hidalgo County Emergency Management coordinator Tony Pena. No humans suffered injuries from the fires. Officials allowed the evacuated people to return home late Wednesday.

This season has been particularly dry in the area, and fires have often challenged local authorities. Burn bans remain in effect for local counties.