Texas blazes are not the only cause for climate concern: Amazon wildfires generate record emissions
It's not just the wildfires in the U.S. that are cause for concern.
A new report from the Copernicus Climate Change Service, the European Union’s climate agency, found that wildfires in Brazil, Venezuela and Bolivia in February have produced the highest carbon emissions for the month since at least 2003.
The climate agency said there was a significant increase in the number of wildfires across the tropical parts of South America in the second half of February. The intensity of the fires and their estimated emissions also jumped in the latter part of the month, according to Copernicus researchers.
The tropical parts of the continent, including northern Venezuela and northern Brazil, are approaching peak wildfire activity for the year. But for other parts of the South America, including Bolivia and the Amazon region as a whole, peak wildfire season typically occurs in September and October, according to Copernicus.
Texas wildfires leave more than 10,000 homes and businesses without power
Wildfires have left 10,301 customers in the dark as of this morning, according to the energy-tracking website PowerOutage.us. Earlier, the number of homes and businesses without power was 4,254.
A majority of the outages — almost 4,000 — are in Hutchinson County.
As wildfires burn through Texas, severe storms may hit the Midwest
As the Texas wildfires burn through 500,000 acres of land, the Midwest is preparing to face a cold front and severe storms. NBC News’ Angie Lassman reports on the latest extreme weather in the United States and what to expect in the next few days.
Smokehouse Creek is now the second-largest wildfire in state history
The Smokehouse Creek Fire is now the second-largest wildfire in state history, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service, which said the fire has grown to an estimated 500,000 acres.
Thirty of the largest wildfires occurred in the state between 1988 and 2022, with the largest being the East Amarillo Complex at 907,245 acres in 2006.
The Big Country Fire in 1988, now the third largest, burned 366,000 acres, followed by Perryton in 2017 at 318,156 acres, and Rockhouse Fire at 314,444 acres.
Smokehouse Creek Fire grows to an estimated 500,000 acres
The Smokehouse Creek Fire in Hutchinson County has grown to an estimated 500,000 acres and is zero percent contained, the Texas A&M Forest Service said in a post on X.
The service said that the fire's "behavior has moderated with decreased winds" but warned that it is still actively burning.
Agriculture chief warns of wildfires' impact on farming
Texas farmers and ranchers are facing the "destruction" of their livelihoods as a result of wildfires that have continued to rage through the panhandle this week into today, the state's agriculture commissioner said.
"These fires not only threaten lives and property but also have a significant impact on our agriculture industry," Sid Miller said in a statement posted on Facebook last night.
"We stand in solidarity with our farmers and ranchers facing loss and destruction. Our thoughts are with them during this challenging time, and we’re committed to supporting their recovery efforts every step of the way," he added.
State of disaster declared in Amarillo and surrounding counties
The city of Amarillo and its two local counties, Randall and Potter, declared a local state of disaster overnight, the city's office of emergency management said in a post on Facebook late last night.
The message stressed that the only area being evacuated was the Mesilla Park neighborhood. "The state of disaster simply notifies the state that our region requires assistance and/or additional resources for areas impacted," it added.
Texas fire burning near nuclear weapons plant forces evacuations
Wildfires are raging in the South with conditions so bad in Texas that a nuclear weapons plant was partially evacuated. Meanwhile, flights at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport were grounded and passengers were forced to shelter in place after tornado reports. NBC’s Adrienne Broaddus reports and the "TODAY" show’s Al Roker tracks the latest forecast.
Nuclear weapons facility to reopen today
The Pantex nuclear weapons site in Amarillo said it would reopen today after it closed and evacuated its staff last night.
On Facebook, the plant said that its staff should turn up for shifts as normal and confirmed that there was no fire within the plant site. There is an uncontained fire north of the facility, the update said.