PensacolaOperator
Expert
The catastrophic infernos ripping across the Texas Panhandle have killed at least one person and threaten to destroy more homes, cattle and livelihoods as the second-largest wildfire in state history engulfs more land every minute.
In Texas and Oklahoma, the Smokehouse Creek Fire has already scorched about 900,000 acres – larger than the entire state of Rhode Island. The vast majority of its destruction has been in northern Texas, where 83-year-old Joyce Blankenship was killed by the inferno in Hutchinson County, her family said.
“The house was gone,” her grandson, Nathan Blankenship, said. “There was no way she could’ve gotten out.”
The deadly inferno is one of five massive wildfires sweeping through the region, with no end in sight.
Despite the chance of light precipitation Thursday, dry air and ferocious winds are expected to return Friday and into the weekend – likely fueling the flames.
• Power outages are a major concern as North Plains Electric Cooperative said it has “approximately 115 miles of line to rebuild.”
• In Hemphill County alone, 400,000 acres are burned, scores of homes have been destroyed and thousands of cattle have died, Hemphill County AgriLife Extension agent Andy Holloway said. More than 85% of cattle in Texas are raised in the Panhandle, according to agricultural officials.
• In addition to the mammoth Smokehouse Creek Fire, the Windy Deuce Fire in Texas has torched 142,000 acres and was 30% contained as of early Thursday morning.
In Texas and Oklahoma, the Smokehouse Creek Fire has already scorched about 900,000 acres – larger than the entire state of Rhode Island. The vast majority of its destruction has been in northern Texas, where 83-year-old Joyce Blankenship was killed by the inferno in Hutchinson County, her family said.
“The house was gone,” her grandson, Nathan Blankenship, said. “There was no way she could’ve gotten out.”
The deadly inferno is one of five massive wildfires sweeping through the region, with no end in sight.
Despite the chance of light precipitation Thursday, dry air and ferocious winds are expected to return Friday and into the weekend – likely fueling the flames.
• Power outages are a major concern as North Plains Electric Cooperative said it has “approximately 115 miles of line to rebuild.”
• In Hemphill County alone, 400,000 acres are burned, scores of homes have been destroyed and thousands of cattle have died, Hemphill County AgriLife Extension agent Andy Holloway said. More than 85% of cattle in Texas are raised in the Panhandle, according to agricultural officials.
• In addition to the mammoth Smokehouse Creek Fire, the Windy Deuce Fire in Texas has torched 142,000 acres and was 30% contained as of early Thursday morning.
