Firefighters are battling several wildfires in the Texas Panhandle. The largest, the Smokehouse Creek Fire, is raging out of control, burning homes and forcing residents to evacuate. The fast-moving blaze, fueled by gusty winds and dry, unseasonably warm conditions, has exploded in size, scorching at least 850,000 acres with 3% containment, making it the second-largest wildfire in Texas history, according to Texas A&M Forest Service.
As of Wednesday morning, no injuries or deaths have been reported. Hemphill County Emergency Management Coordinator Bill Kendall described the aftermath to the Associated Press as being “like a moonscape… It’s just all gone.” Kendall reported that 40 homes were burned on the outskirts of the town of Canadian but no buildings inside the town were lost.
“Thirty-eight years of memories, that’s what you were thinking,” Canadian resident Tresea Rankin said while watching flames destroy her house. “Two of my kids were married there … But you know, it’s OK, the memories won’t go away.”
Town of Canadian largely spared by massive wildfire
Storm chaser Jordan Hall reported live from the scene of the Smokehouse Creek Fire on Feb. 27, where intense wind gusts caused extreme fire behavior.
County Emergency Management issued evacuation orders Tuesday afternoon, with Sheriff Brent Clapp “strongly” suggesting that people evacuate Canadian. Later in the evening, according to ABC 7 News, as the wildfire forced road closures, Clapp recommended Canadian residents shelter in place.
Canadian Independent School District canceled all classes on Wednesday due to the fire. ABC 7 also reported that structures in Canadian have burned.
In addition to Canadian, evacuation orders were issued for Glazier and Higgins. Roberts County Judge Mitchell Locke also issued a county-wide mandatory evacuation.
Evacuee describes chaotic escape from wildfire
Wildfire evacuee Brooke McQuiddy describes her harrowing escape from her hometown of Canadian, Texas, as an out-of-control wildfire spread quickly in the area on Feb. 27.
“The Smokehouse Creek fire is being fueled by southwesterly winds to 60 mph and is rapidly spreading east-northeast towards the Texas town of Canadian,” AccuWeather severe weather expert Guy Pearson said, explaining that winds on Tuesday afternoon shifted behind a strong cold front, quickly changing the direction the fire was spreading.
Courtney Kirksey, a children’s pastor helping people shelter from wildfires at Celebration Family Church in Fritch, Texas, told CNN on Tuesday that most of the people who come in have lost everything. “The fire is so unpredictable. Starting out the day, the wind was blowing out of the southwest and probably about four o’clock, it switched to the north and that sent the fire in another direction.”
In a social media livestream, Hutchinson County Emergency Management spokesperson Deidra Thomas compared the fire aftermath in Fritch to a tornado and said people are probably not “prepared for what they’re going to see if they pull into town.”
Authorities have not said what ignited the fires. The Texas Division of Emergency Management is encouraging Texas residents at risk to keep a close eye on the weather and be prepared to evacuate.
Texas 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.”
Source:https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2024/2/29/israels-war-on-gaza-live-mass-killing-of-children-in-slow-motion-ngo
