2 dead as largest wildfire in Texas history explodes past 1 million acres
"Most of the people coming in have lost everything," a children's pastor helping people shelter from wildfires at Celebration Family Church in Fritch, Texas said.
The fight against the Smokehouse Creek Fire near Canadian, Texas, picked up on March 2, with aerial support for firefighters dropping fire retardant and locals in the area evacuating with cattle.
The explosive Smokehouse Creek Fire continues to rage across the Texas Panhandle, with a second person confirmed dead. Sgt. Chris Ray of the Texas Department of Public Safety said one of the victims was a female truck driver from Amarillo who was driving on a back road in Hemphill County on Tuesday. According to the Texas Tribune, "the woman, identified as 44-year-old Cindy Owen, got out of her truck, which was surrounded by fire, and was burned." She was taken to the hospital but died Wednesday morning.
The body of an 83-year-old woman was found in the small town of Stinnett, according to Hutchinson County Public Engagement Coordinator Deidra Thomas. Authorities warn that they have yet to make a thorough search for victims and say the damage to some communities is extensive.
“When you look at the damages that have occurred here, it’s just gone, completely gone, nothing left but ashes on the ground,” Gov. Greg Abbott said during a news conference in Borger, Texas. Friday. He said a preliminary assessment found 400 to 500 structures had been destroyed and praised the “heroic” and “fearless” firefighters.
“It would have been far worse and far more damaging not just to property but to people, but for those firefighters,” he said
Firefighters raced the clock to fight flames as warm winds and low humidity again increased the fire danger over the weekend. “We are concerned if we don’t secure everything in the next 48 hours, there is potential it will spread again,” Adam Turner, public information officer with Texas A&M Forest Service, told the Texas Tribune.
A Texas firefighter breaks down how they’ve been handling the wind-driven Smokehouse Creek Fire, which is now the largest wildfire ever in the state of Texas.
The Smokehouse Creek Fire merged with another fire and spread into Oklahoma, burning homes, obliterating thousands of cattle and forcing residents to evacuate. The blaze has scorched 1.1 million acres with 15% containment, making it the largest wildfire in Texas history. Some rain and snow on Thursday allowed firefighters to gain better control of the fire.
“The snow helps,” firefighter Lee Jones told the Associated Press. Lee was one of about a dozen firefighters from Lubbock helping battle flames in hard-hit Stinnett Thursday. “We’re just hitting all the hot spots around town, the houses that have already burned.”
Texas A&M Forest Service spokesman Juan Rodriguez echoed the sentiment. “The rain and the snow is beneficial right now; we’re using it to our advantage,” he told the AP of the Smokehouse Creek fire. “When the fire isn’t blowing up and moving very fast, firefighters are able to actually catch up and get to those parts of the fire.”
Hemphill County Emergency Management Coordinator Bill Kendall described the aftermath as being “like a moonscape... It’s just all gone.” Kendall reported that 40 homes were burned on the outskirts of the town of Canadian but no buildings inside the town were lost.
“Thirty-eight years of memories, that’s what you were thinking,” Canadian resident Tresea Rankin said while watching flames destroy her house. “Two of my kids were married there ... But you know, it’s OK, the memories won’t go away.”
Hemphill County Emergency Management began issuing evacuation orders Tuesday afternoon, with Sheriff Brent Clapp "strongly" suggesting that people evacuate Canadian. In addition to Canadian, evacuation orders were issued for Glazier and Higgins. Roberts County Judge Mitchell Locke also issued a county-wide mandatory evacuation.
Courtney Kirksey, a children's pastor helping people shelter from wildfires at Celebration Family Church in Fritch, Texas, told CNN on Tuesday that most of the people who come in have lost everything. "The fire is so unpredictable. Starting out the day, the wind was blowing out of the southwest and probably about four o'clock, it switched to the north and that sent the fire in another direction."
Wildfire evacuee Brooke McQuiddy describes her harrowing escape from her hometown of Canadian, Texas, as an out-of-control wildfire spread quickly in the area on Feb. 27.
In a social media livestream, Hutchinson County Emergency Management spokesperson Deidra Thomas compared the fire aftermath in Fritch to a tornado and said people are probably not “prepared for what they’re going to see if they pull into town.”
Authorities have not said what ignited the fires. The Texas Division of Emergency Management is warning Texas residents at risk to keep a close eye on the weather and be prepared to evacuate.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has issued a disaster declaration for 60 counties and urged Texans "to limit activities that could create sparks and take precautions to keep their loved ones safe."
Want next-level safety, ad-free? Unlock advanced, hyperlocal severe weather alerts when you subscribe to Premium+ on the AccuWeather app. AccuWeather Alerts™ are prompted by our expert meteorologists who monitor and analyze dangerous weather risks 24/7 to keep you and your family safer.
Report a Typo
