The fire is devastating large areas of North Texas and leaving horrendous images in the Panhandle area, in the north of the State. In addition to forest area, the flames have consumed houses, devoured cars, burned ranches and killed cattle and have already left the first fatality, an 83-year-old woman from the small town of Stinnett. Evacuations from affected areas have prevented a greater number of deaths. A series of fires declared since Monday, and that have been spreading driven by strong winds, have already burned 850,000 acres of land (about 344,000 hectares), according to the update made this Wednesday by the forest services, which says that the fire is only 3% contained. It is the second largest fire in the history of Texas and its severity has put the State in emergency, which has requested federal help.
The affected area is larger than that of the State of Rhode Island. The incident is very close to the largest recorded in Texas, the East Amarillo incident in March 2006, which burned 907,000 acres. Some satellite images suggest that it could even have surpassed it. That fire left 13 dead. Although for now there is only one confirmed fatality, it is feared that more may appear.
The burned territory is already double that of what has become the third largest fire on record, that of March 1988 in Big Country. Most of the most serious fires occur in Texas in the months of January through May. The dryness of the pastures after winter and the strong winds generate a high-risk situation. Added to this are unusually high temperatures this year.
The president of the United States, Joe Biden, has been receiving information about the fire, according to White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre this Wednesday. “We are grateful to the brave firefighters and first responders who are working to protect people and save lives. And we urge everyone in the affected area to remain vigilant and heed warnings from local officials, especially those who have been ordered to evacuate.”
The federal Administration is providing assistance to state authorities in both Texas and neighboring Oklahoma, which has also been affected by the fire. Texas Governor Greg Abbott has directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) to deploy additional emergency response resources “to ensure the safety of Texans and affected communities,” he said in a statement. “I encourage Texans in affected areas to heed the guidance of local officials and first responders and take all necessary precautions to keep your family and loved ones safe.” Abbott issued a disaster declaration for 60 counties.
The wind and dry grasses continue to contribute to the spread of the fire, leaving areas of black landscape in its wake. Temperatures drop on Thursday and some rain may even fall, but for the weekend a warmer and drier environment is expected, and therefore dangerous, not only in North Texas, but also in other areas of the State. .
The advance of the flames caused the main facility that dismantles the United States nuclear arsenal to interrupt its operations on Tuesday night, but on Wednesday it was able to open and work normally. This is the Pantex plant, southeast of Amarillo. It is one of the facilities of the National Nuclear Security Administration. The plant has been the main US site for assembling and disassembling atomic bombs since 1975. It produced its last new bomb in 1991 and has dismantled thousands of weapons removed from military arsenals.
Evacuations
Meanwhile, residents have had to be evacuated from areas devastated by the flames. “There was a time when we couldn’t see anything,” said Greg Downey, 57, describing his escape from the flames as they swept through his neighborhood. “I didn’t think we would get out of there,” he added, according to testimonies collected by AP.
Hemphill County Emergency Management Coordinator Bill Kendall described the charred terrain as “a moonscape”: “It’s just gone.” Kendall said about 40 homes burned around the perimeter of the town of Canadian, but no buildings were lost within the community. Kendall also said that he saw “hundreds of dead cattle lying in the fields.” Tresea Rankin videotaped her own home in Canadian as it burned. “Thirty-eight years of memories, that’s what she was thinking,” Ella Rankin said as she watched the flames destroy her home. “Two of my children got married there. But nothing happens, the memories don’t go away.”
The small town of Fritch, north of Amarillo, lost hundreds of homes in a fire in 2014 and appeared to be hit hard again. Mayor Tom Ray said Wednesday that an estimated 40 to 50 homes were destroyed in the south end. Ray said natural gas remained shut off to the city of 2,200 residents. Residents are probably “not prepared for what they are going to see if they come to town,” Hutchinson County Emergency Management spokeswoman Deidra Thomas said in a livestream on social media also reported by the AP. She compared the damage to that of a tornado.
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