Texas largest wildfire leaves 2 dead in the Panhandle

Firefighters rush to subdue deadly Panhandle wildfire before dangerous conditions return Saturday

Light rain and snow Thursday allowed firefighters to gain better control of the state’s largest-ever fire, which has killed at least two people.

FRITCH — A blanket of snow and rain that descended over the Texas Panhandle on Thursday helped firefighters to slow the spread of the largest wildfire in the state’s history, which has engulfed more than 1 million acres of land and killed at least two people.

But firefighters are racing against the clock to temper down the flames before the weekend, when weather forecasters predict another round of gusty winds and low humidity could again create dangerous fire conditions for the sprawling region in the top corner of Texas. Friday is expected to be warm and dry.

The National Weather Service in Amarillo has issued a fire weather watch for Saturday afternoon through Sunday evening, leaving firefighters desperate to rein in the massive blaze before windy conditions return to the region. Forecasters said Friday that critical conditions may not develop until midday Saturday and are likely Sunday morning. The snow and rain were insufficient to allow for any vegetation to start growing again, so the potential for fire to ignite the area remains.

“We are concerned if we don’t secure everything in the next 48 hours, there is potential it will spread again,” said Adam Turner, public information officer with Texas A&M Forest Service, on Thursday. He said crews are trying to put out as much of the fire now so more areas are secure before winds pick back up.

Gov. Greg Abbott told reporters at the governor’s mansion Friday morning that he is heading up to the Panhandle imminently to get an update on firefighting and assess what resources local governments need to continue their firefighting response, maintain public safety and provide supplies to victims who have lost homes. He said his office has been in close contact with the Texas Division of Emergency Management and local county judges.

“We will be going through an analysis when I arrive out there today about what each county and each community needs are to begin the rebuilding process, which includes the disaster declarations I’ve already made, as well as others that could be forthcoming,” he said.

Abbott added that there are enough state resources available to respond to the crisis and he does not anticipate removing resources from the border.

The Smokehouse Creek fire alone, which broke out Monday afternoon about 65 miles north of Amarillo, surpassed the million acreage mark and spreads across Texas and Oklahoma. It is larger than the East Amarillo Complex fire in 2006, which blazed through 906,000 acres of land and used to hold the record for the state’s largest wildfire.

The Smokehouse Creek fire was followed by a second one to the west called the Windy Deuce fire, which burned 142,000 acres of land across multiple counties north of Amarillo.

Firefighters have only managed to contain the Smokehouse Creek fire by 15% as of Friday morning, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service, which is the state agency tasked with responding to wildfires. The Forest Service said on X, formerly Twitter, that crews will focus on the northern edge of the fire and areas around structures. The Windy Deuce Fire in Moore County remains at 55% contained as of Friday morning. Texas A&M Forest Service officials said Thursday they had turned over management of the two wildfires to a federal incident management team because of their massive size.

The cause of the fires is unknown at this time and still under investigation, according to Karen Stafford, Texas A&M Forest Service fire prevention program coordinator.

The fires have ravaged nearly 2,000 square miles. The winds initially pushed fires to the east, but a cold front abruptly shifted the winds to blow the whole fire line to the south, which made the situation more dangerous.

Two other fires in the region continue to burn but are now largely contained. A third, smaller fire in Hutchinson County was about 10% contained as of Thursday evening. Another nearby smaller blaze was 100% contained, according to the Forest Service. Wildfires have become more frequent and severe in the Western United States because of warmer and drier conditions, factors that are worsening because of climate change.

At least two people have died, Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Chris Ray said Thursday.

One of the victims was a female truck driver from Amarillo who was driving on a narrow farm road in Hemphill County on Tuesday afternoon. The woman, identified as 44-year-old Cindy Owen, got out of her truck, which was surrounded by fire, and was burned, Ray said. Emergency medical services transferred Owen to Oklahoma to receive care but she died Wednesday morning.