The second largest wildfire in Texas history (the largest was also in the Panhandle) is still burning; www.texastribune.org/…
LUBBOCK — Firefighters are still working to extinguish five raging wildfires in the Texas Panhandle that have already collectively burned nearly 575,000 acres, an amount of land that's roughly 40% larger than Houston, the nation's fourth most populous city.
The Smokehouse Creek fire, which started Monday afternoon, grew from 100,000 to 500,000 acres within 24 hours, according to Texas A&M Forest Service. It is the second largest wildfire in Texas history, and was still not contained Wednesday afternoon.
The Smoke House Creek Fire has expanded into Oklahoma.
CANADIAN, Texas (AP) — A cluster of wildfires scorched the Texas Panhandle on Wednesday, including a blaze that grew into one of the largest in state history, as flames blackened the landscape across a vast stretch of small towns and cattle ranches.
Authorities warned that the damage to communities on the high plains could be extensive.
The largest fire — which expanded to nearly 800 square miles (2,072 square kilometers) — jumped into parts of neighboring Oklahoma and was completely uncontained as dawn broke, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.
Hutchinson County’s town of Fritch is once more devastated. A 2014 fire there burned hundreds of homes. Hutchinson County Emergency Management spokesperson Deidra Thomas said that it isn’t safe to let people return home yet, and when it will be, they’re not ready for what they’ll see.
Pantex is open for business today as usual, though last night what Laef Pendergraft, a spokesperson for National Nuclear Security Administration’s production office at Pantex, called “an abundance of caution” caused the nuclear facility to evacuate “nonessential” personnel at the nation’s sole nuclear weapons assembly/disassembly plant. Firefighters remained at Pantex “in case of emergency.”
While firefighters — from as far away as Flower Mound, Fort Worth and San Angelo — , homeowners, Texas Parks and Wildlife personnel, ranch hands and neighbors are out fighting these fires, what is our Governor doing? How about our Senators, Ted Cruz (R-Cancun) and John Cornyn?
Well, other than bloviating about and preparing for a photo op with TFG at Eagle Pass tomorrow, not much.
Amarillo’s Weather service published a map at noon: pbs.twimg.com/…
Beto, on Twitter, has posted ways to help.
and our local paper has this:
www.lubbockonline.com/…