It’s official now. The Smokehouse Creek Fire is the largest ever recorded in the State of Texas. The fire has spread to 1.075 million acres (just over 435,000 hectares), according to the update provided this Thursday by forestry services. Of that area, 1.05 million acres correspond to Texas and the other 25,000 acres to neighboring Oklahoma. The fire affects northern Texas, the Panhandle area, with a sparse population density. In its path it has burned pastures, burned ranches, houses and cars.
The affected area is larger than that of the State of Rhode Island. The incident has surpassed in extent the largest recorded in Texas, the East Amarillo incident in March 2006, which burned 907,000 acres and left 13 dead. On this occasion, there is only one confirmed fatality, an 83-year-old woman from the small town of Stinnett, near the place where the fire originated. She has been identified by her family as Joyce Blankenship, a former substitute teacher. Authorities warn that it has not yet been possible to assess all the damage and there remains the possibility of additional victims.
Most of the most serious fires occur in Texas in the months of January to May. The dryness of the pastures after winter and the strong winds generate a high-risk situation. Added to that this year were unusually high temperatures. This Thursday, the weather brought good news. Some snow has fallen in the area and temperatures have dropped, which has slowed the spread of the fire that had grown uncontrollably since Monday, when it was declared for reasons still unknown.
Several fires have been spreading and connecting with each other, according to information provided by forestry services. With flat terrain and abundant weeds and grasses, the winds spread the flames at high speed. The fire has consumed or threatens a dozen towns in which evacuations have been ordered: Canadian, Glazier, Double Diamond, Arrowhead Addition, Maverick Village, Alibates, McBride, Mullinaw and Harbor Bay. Classes have been canceled in many school districts.
Tens of thousands of cattle have died on ranches in the affected areas, according to local authorities. Images of the most affected areas show burned houses and cars. 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 live social media broadcast reported by the AP in which He compared the damage to that of a tornado.
Near Borger, a community of about 13,000, emergency officials at one point responded to questions from panicked residents on Facebook and told them to prepare to leave if they had not already done so. “It was like a ring of fire around Borger. There was no way out. The four main roads were closed,” said Adrianna Hill, whose home was less than a mile from the fire, reports AP. She added that they were able to save themselves because the wind blew in the opposite direction, driving the fire away.
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.
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