A series of wildfires sweeping across hundreds of thousands of acres of the Texas Panhandle have prompted evacuations, cut off the power, and forced shutdowns of nuclear weapons facilities. Tuesday afternoon, Gov. Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for 60 counties in the state due to the blazes.
The fires ignited as unseasonably warm temperatures, strong winds, and dry grass fueled the flames. Among the growing flames is the Smokehouse Creek Fire in Hutchinson County, which has quickly become the second-largest fire in the state’s history. It burned 500,000 acres when this article was published and has now extended to 1.1 million acres. The Smokehouse Creek Fire is currently roughly 3 percent contained.
Update: the #SmokehouseCreekFire in Hutchinson County remains an estimated 500,000 acres and 0% contained. Fire behavior has moderated with decreased winds, but it is still actively burning. #txfire
— Incident Information – Texas A&M Forest Service (@AllHazardsTFS) February 28, 2024
Katlyn Butler, a cattle rancher near Stinnett, shared heartbreaking images and footage of the blazes yesterday as they moved cattle out of the way of the fire and pulled fire trucks into town to help save structures in the community.
“As with all our ranching neighbors, families, hands, cowboys, and the communities of the Panhandle, we are heartbroken by this devastating fire and its tremendous associated effects and losses which continue,” wrote the Turkey Track Ranch of Stinnett, Texas, in a statement Wednesday. “Our early assessment estimates that The Turkey Track Ranch has suffered and lost approximately 80 % of our pastures, plains, and creek bottom vegetation. We continue to assess the total damage to other infrastructure and the loss of livestock.”
Relief sites are popping up
The Texas Farm Bureau has shared some dropoff points where livestock supplies can be sent.
Kaylin Schimpf also shared what items are needed to help ranchers recover and treat livestock during the fire. So far, several livestock feed and tack companies have sent donations, and there is an Amazon list where other much-needed items can be found.
Schimpf said that donations will be sent to the Skellytown Fire Department, Texas A&M Veterinary Emergency Response Team, and ranchers in need.
The West Texas Weekend Sale announced that there will be two donated lots available for bid, and that 100 percent of the proceeds from those items will go to helping fire victims rebuild.
Individuals in Canyon, Texas, have also offered housing for livestock needing a place to stay, while others have poured out their hearts to those in the fire’s path.
Our hearts and prayers go out to the Texas Panhandle. To the firefighters and emergency personnel. The farmers and ranchers. And all those in the path of these devastating wildfires.
📷by Andy Holloway, Farm Bureau member and County Extension Agent for Texas A&M AgriLife… pic.twitter.com/lfhk8ohgJM
— Texas Farm Bureau (@TexasFarmBureau) February 27, 2024
“The Smokehouse Creek Fire is closing in on becoming the largest fire on record in Texas,” Texas Commissioner Sid Miller said. “These fires not only threaten lives and property but will also have a substantial impact on our agriculture industry. Over 85% of the state’s cattle population is located on ranches in the panhandle. There are millions of cattle out there, with some towns comprising more cattle than people. The losses could be catastrophic for those counties. Farmers and ranchers are losing everything.”
Authorities are still unsure of what caused the blaze. As evacuation orders increased Tuesday, county and city officials took to social media livestream to try to answer questions from residents.
Meanwhile, Texas state Sen. Kevin Sparks said an evacuation order was issued for Canadian, a town of about 2,000 about 100 miles from Amarillo. Later Tuesday, the Hemphill County Sheriff’s Office urged anyone who remained in Canadian to shelter in place or at the high school gym because roads were closed.
The National Weather Service has issued red flag warnings and fire danger alerts for multiple states across the country’s central region. A combination of strong winds exceeding 40 mph, elevated temperatures, low humidity, and the presence of dry winter vegetation collectively create favorable conditions for wildfires.
Updated 2/29/24 at 3:41 p.m. ET: This article was updated to include information about the growing scope of the fire and donation sites.
