What to know about Texas wildfires
- At least one person has died in the wildfires raging across the Texas Panhandle, which have threatened towns, forced evacuations and cut power to thousands of homes and businesses.
- A fire at Smokehouse Creek, north of Amarillo, has burned through 850,000 acres and is only 3% contained. It has quickly become the second-largest wildfire in Texas history.
- 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."
- Strong winds, unseasonably high temperatures and dry grass are fueling the fires, although rain could arrive tomorrow.
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Nuclear weapons facility Pantex resumes normal operation, thanks responders
The nuclear weapons facility Pantex Plant in the Texas Panhandle resumed normal operations Wednesday after a fire north of the site prompted the evacuation of nonessential staff members, it said.
The fires were north of the facility and site. The plant said on X that there was no immediate wildfire threat "at this time."
“Thanks to the responsive actions of all Pantexans and the NNSA Production Office in cooperation with the women and men of the Pantex Fire Department and our mutual aid partners from neighboring communities, the fire did not reach or breach the plant’s boundary,” it said.
The Pantex Plant said that when the staff members were evacuated, weapons and special materials were safe and not affected.
The facility, the only nuclear weapons assembly and disassembly facility in the U.S., is 17 miles northeast of Amarillo, according to the state Department of Health and Human Services.
The last nuclear weapon was completed there in 1991, and since then it "has safely dismantled thousands of weapons retired from the stockpile by the military and placed the resulting plutonium pits in interim storage," the Energy Department says on its website.
Family identifies woman killed in fire
Family members have identified the woman who died as Joyce Blankenship, a former substitute teacher from the town of Stinnett.
Lee Quesada, her grandson, said he had posted in a community forum asking whether anyone could try to locate her. Quesada said deputies told his uncle today that they had found Blankenship’s remains in her burned home.
Quesada said Blankenship, 83, would surprise him at times with funny little stories “about her more ornery days.”
“Just talking to her was a joy,” he said, adding that “Joy” was a nickname of hers.
Texas agency raises wildland fire preparedness level to 3
The Texas A&M Forest Service tonight raised its Wildland Fire Preparedness Level to three because of the number of wildfires in the state, including the Panhandle.
That level means wildfire activity “is impacting several regions of the state as the result of drought, dry vegetation or frequent fire weather events,” according to an agency document.
The level is for planning purposes, but it raises the possibility that outside help may be required.
“Texas A&M Forest Service strategically positions personnel, equipment and aircraft in areas at risk. Additional resources, including those from other regions, agencies or states, may be necessary,” the document says.
Increases in both the number of fires and the resources committed to fight them prompted raising the fire preparedness level, the Texas A&M Forest Service said on X.
"The fire environment is expected to support wildfire activity over the next few weeks," it said.
Fires have hit the region before
The largest of the latest Texas fires — the Smokehouse Creek Fire — grew from about 800 square miles to more than 1,300 square miles today, the Texas A&M Forest Service said.
The speed at which the fires are spreading is “definitely not standard,” said Melissa Toole, an administrative associate at the forest service.
Flames the height of a one-story building can burn the length of a football field in one minute, said Leighton Chachere Gibson, a communications specialist at the forest service.
The East Amarillo Complex Fire in 2006 burned more than 900,000 acres in the same general location.
Fire in Moore County grows to 142,000 acres
The fire in Moore County ballooned in size, scorching an estimated 142,000 acres.
The Windy Deuce Fire was 30% contained, with crews continuing to build a containment line, the Texas A&M Forest Service said tonight.
The agency added that mandatory evacuations remained in place for Fritch, a town of about 1,800 people as of the 2020 census.
Satellite images show land scathed by wildfires
Images taken by satellite show the towns of Fritch, Borger, Miami and Canadian burned by wildfires that have been raging in the Texas Panhandle this week.
The images from Maxar show large areas burned by fires, including the Smokehouse Creek Fire, the second largest in Texas history.
According to Maxar, "dozens of homes and structures were destroyed in Fritch," and burn scars are visible in images of the countryside.
At least one person dead
The wildfires have been linked to at least one death.
An official with the city of Borger confirmed the death tonight without providing additional details.
The location of the death and the victim's identity were not immediately available.
Photos showing remains of home destroyed in fire in Canadian, Texas
Will the forecast help or hinder firefighting?
Today is the day to wrangle these fires. Winds are forecast to be light — under 10 mph — until the late evening. Tomorrow, some help could come in the form of light rain in the morning.
But Samuel Scoleri, a forecaster at the National Weather Service Amarillo office, warned of a “déjà-vu weather pattern,” with strong winds returning over the weekend, although most likely not as intense as they were yesterday and today.
Texas resident 'blessed' his house didn't burn down in the fires
FRITCH, Texas — Alta Hudson got emotional when he thought of all of the people who lost their homes in the Texas wildfires, including his neighbors and family, adding that he is "blessed" he didn't lose his.
Hudson said his house was saved by a cinder block wall that stopped the flames.
"Honestly I didn’t think we’d have anything left in this area, but our house made it," Hudson said. "We were blessed, and like now, it makes you tear up a little bit, but my in-laws' house back that way, and my daughter’s house, they didn’t make it."
He said it took only 20 seconds from the first moment he saw the fire in a field across the street to the moment his neighbor's house — two doors down from his own — was on fire.
Hudson said, "There was a lot of smoke and a whole lot of heat, it was so hot," adding that "you could barely breathe."