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Multiple agencies and firefighters continue to battle the several wildfires in the Texas Panhandle. Photo courtesy of Texas A&M Forest Service.
Firefighters in the Texas Panhandle continue to battle several active wildfires that have burned around 1.3 million acres, destroyed at least 500 structures and killed thousands of livestock; two people have been confirmed dead.
Former substitute teacher Joyce Blankenship, 83, was found dead in her home, family members said. Cindy Owens, believed to be in her 40s, from Amarillo, died Thursday, two days after she got out of her truck in Canadian and the fire “overtook her,” officials said.
According to officials, farmers and ranchers suffered major losses, with fires leaving “dead animals everywhere” with thousands of cattle that will have died. The agricultural community in Texas, as well as other states, have rushed to offer help, offering land, hay and free and free medication and labor to attempt to save animals.
As of Monday morning, the Smokehouse Creek Fire has burned an estimated 1,076,638 acres and is 15% contained. The fire spread into parts of Oklahoma.
The cause of the fire, which originated about one mile north of Stinnett, is still unknown and remains under investigation.
There were a total of 181 personnel battling the blaze. Firefighters continued to monitor and respond to unburned areas within the fire perimeter that were flaring up, with 36 bulldozers to assist ground personnel and continue to construct fire lines where needed, along with eight engines and air resources where needed.
The northern perimeter of the fire featured canyons and remained an area of concern, with primary efforts on Monday to hold the south line of the fire, as north winds will be testing the established perimeter.
The Smokehouse wildfire fire has been elevated to the worst in Texas history.
The Windy Deuce Fire has torched around 144,206 acres and was 55% contained, with 209 personnel, 28 engines and two dozers.
The Grape Creek Fire spread to 34,882 acres, was 60% contained, with five engines and 28 personnel on site.
On Sunday, Texas A&M Forest Service responded to four new requests for assistance, including the Roughneck Fire, also in Hutchinson County, which had burned 300 acres and was 25% contained with forward progression stopped.
On Monday, Governor Greg Abbott provided an update on the state’s ongoing wildfire response and resources deployed as state and local emergency response personnel continue to fight the wildfires.
“As Texans in the Panhandle respond to these devastating wildfires, the State of Texas continues working around the clock to swiftly provide the necessary resources to protect Texans. The safety and well-being of impacted Texans is our No. 1 priority as the potential for more dangerous wildfires persists in the coming days.
“We urge Texans to continue to heed the guidance of state and local officials and utilize tools that have been made available by the Texas Division of Emergency Management and local partners. I thank our brave firefighters and first responders who are risking their lives and working around-the-clock to protect their fellow Texans during this time of crisis.”
Abbott At the direction of Governor Abbott, the following state emergency response resources remain engaged to support the state’s wildfire response efforts, including over 100 firefighters from the Texas A&M Forest Service, with bulldozers and motor graders, seven single engine air tankers, five large airtankers, one aerial supervision module, all hazards incident management team personnel, 20 intrastate fire mutual aid system strike teams composed of over 340 personnel and over 95 fire engines and 175 outof state personnel.
Additionally, the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Office (Task Force 1, Texas Task Force 2 and TAMU Public Works Response Team, TAMU Veterinary Emergency Team, Texas National Guard with over 50 personnel, six helicopters with fire suppression capabilities, TxDOT, and the Texas Emergency Medical Task Force have been in place to support the region of the fires.
Texans can locate wildfire resources from state agencies by visiting the 2024 February Wildfires page in the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) Disaster Portal at tdem.texas.gov.
The ongoing fires in the Texas Panhandle have affected multiple counties and displaced many families. Texas A&M AgriLife Extension has provided verified relief information, which is attached.
Resources for both those affected and those wanting to donate can be found on the Texas A&M Agrilife Extension website.