Snow falls in areas affected by wildfires in Texas
Five Forest fire across texas I killed it at least two people, Authorities fear there may be more victims as a thorough search for the victims has not yet been carried out.
Joyce Blankenship, 83, Found dead in destroyed Hutchinson County homesaid the official. A second woman was confirmed Thursday. Cindy Owens – Died from injuries after getting out of the truck and sustaining severe burns.
High winds and low humidity will hit the Texas Panhandle this weekend, increasing the potential for new fires to start and old ones to spread.
„Significant fire weather conditions are expected to return at noon Saturday and return after sunrise Sunday,“ the Amarillo National Weather Service said in a statement. Said. „Please refrain from all outdoor activities that produce sparks or flames.“
The same conditions earlier this week caused many of the current fires to spark and spin out of control.
Meanwhile, the Smokehouse Creek Fire, the largest in state history, was 15% contained as of Friday morning.
According to the report, the fire burned 1,078,086 acres. Texas A&M Forest ServiceIt is more than 5 times the size of new york city.
100-year-old ranch loses most of its land in Panhandle wildfires
A 120-year-old ranch in the Texas Panhandle lost about 80 percent of its land in this week's fire, managers of Turkey Truck Ranch said in a statement.
„Our initial assessment estimates that Turkey Truck Ranch has suffered and lost approximately 80% of its meadow, plain, and stream bottom vegetation,“ the statement reads. “We continue to assess the overall damage to other infrastructure and livestock losses.”
Hemphill County ranchers lost thousands of cattle in these fires.
Texas A&M officials said: „It was a tough day in Hemphill County. There was massive loss of ranch land (over 400,000 acres in Hemphill County alone), numerous homes destroyed, and literally thousands of cattle lost. We lost a cow, and it is beyond words.“Agrilife extension service for counties Said.
katie hawkinsonMarch 1, 2024 19:00
Officials say more than 100 miles of power lines need repairs.
North Plains Electric Cooperative, which provides power to a large swath of the Texas Panhandle, said about 115 miles of power lines needed to be repaired after the fire.
„Some areas and a large portion of Hemp Hill Co. are without power,“ the company said in a statement. statement. “Our goal is to have all power outages restored by Monday, March 4th.”
As of Friday afternoon, about 600 people were without power in Hemphill County (just northeast of where the Smokehouse Creek Fire started), according to . PowerOutage.us.
katie hawkinsonMarch 1, 2024 18:40
Weather conditions suitable for wildfires are predicted in several states
The National Weather Service is predicting high winds and low humidity for parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado and New Mexico this weekend.
These factors favor wildfires and are similar to weather conditions in the Texas Panhandle earlier this week when the Smokehouse Creek Fire, the largest in state history, first broke out.
The National Weather Service predicts conditions likely to cause wildfires this weekend.
(National Weather Bureau)
katie hawkinsonMarch 1, 2024 18:20
Oklahoma's Smokehouse Creek Fire burns 30,000 acres
The Smokehouse Creek Fire, which spread through northwestern Oklahoma earlier this week, has burned more than 31,000 acres in the state.
Firefighters in Oklahoma are at 40 percent containment, according to reports Friday morning. Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry. Meanwhile, the Smokehouse Creek Fire in Texas is burning 1.07 acres with just 15 percent containment.
katie hawkinsonMarch 1, 2024 18:00
Map of fires sweeping the Texas Panhandle
The Smokehouse Creek Fire is currently the largest in state history, with 1,078,086 acres burned alone. Texas A&M Forest Service. As of Friday morning, it contained just 15%. Experts are predicting high winds and low humidity in the Panhandle this weekend. national weather bureau It's called a „significant fire weather condition.“
Two people have now died as a result of this fire. 83 years old Joyce Blankenship A Hutchinson County woman was found dead inside her destroyed Hutchinson County home Wednesday. later, Cindy Owens An Amarillo woman was found dead after exiting her vehicle for unknown reasons. „The fire just hit her.“ on Thursday.
See maps of these deadly fires.
katie hawkinsonMarch 1, 2024 17:40
Smokehouse Creek fire grows slightly as firefighters work to extinguish it
The Smokehouse Creek Fire grew from 1,075 acres to 1,078 acres Friday morning as firefighters battled to contain it.
As of Friday morning, the fire was only 15% contained.
katie hawkinsonMarch 1, 2024 17:23
Texas town revisits after 10 years due to devastating wildfires, charred homes, blackened soil
A decade after another devastating wildfire destroyed hundreds of homes and left deep scars in the Panhandle region, the small town of Fritch is once again scavenging through the debris of Texas wildfires.
Residents of Fritch and other rural towns and surrounding areas evacuated for safety Tuesday afternoon as strong winds pushed flames into homes and ranches.
Fritch Mayor Tom Ray said Wednesday that while the north end of town suffered devastating wildfires in 2014, this week's fires burned most of the south side of town, saving residents in the center of the community. Stated.
„I said, 'Oh.' maindon't come from the middle,'' Ray said.
Associated PressMarch 1, 2024 17:00
This week, a previously prescribed burn helped suppress the development of the flames.
Officials with the Hutchinson County, Texas, Emergency Services Agency said prescribed burning helped prevent this week's fire from getting worse.
„You can see where we've done prescribed burns before and thankfully how our wilderness teams did it, because it saved a lot of people's property.“ the person in charge said. Facebook live video. „We know we can't save everything.“
Late last year, Texas authorities conducted a prescribed burn in Hutchinson County, which prevented this week's fire from spreading south to the town of Borger, CNN reported. report.
prescribed burns A fire intentionally set in a controlled area to destroy fire fuel such as dry grass or fallen leaves. Indigenous communities have used this practice for thousands of years and have long advocated for the U.S. government to adopt it in areas at risk of fire.
katie hawkinsonMarch 1, 2024 16:40
Largest fire in Texas history, 15% contained
The Smokehouse Creek fire is still more than 1 acre in size, but reports say it is now 15 percent contained. Texas A&M Forest Service.
The fire is now the largest in state history and one of the largest in modern U.S. history.
katie hawkinsonMarch 1, 2024 16:20
WATCH: President Joe Biden speaks on Texas Panhandle wildfires
Joe Biden speaks on Texas Panhandle wildfires
katie hawkinsonMarch 1, 2024 16:00