Now it is official. The Smokehouse Creek fire is the largest ever recorded in the state of Texas. The fire has expanded to 1.075 million acres (just over 435,000 hectares), according to an update provided by forest officials on Thursday. Of that total, 1.05 million acres are in Texas and the other 25,000 acres are in neighboring Oklahoma. The fire is affecting northern Texas, the low-density Panhandle area. Along its path it burned pastures, ranches, homes and cars.
The affected area is larger than that of the state of Rhode Island. The scale of the incident exceeds the largest incident 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 death, an 83-year-old woman from the small town of Stinnett, near where the fire started. Family members identified her as Joyce Blankenship, a former substitute teacher. Authorities warn that it is not yet possible to assess all the damage and that there remains a possibility of further casualties.
Most of the worst fires occur in Texas in the months January to May. The dryness of the pastures after winter and the strong winds create a high-risk situation. In addition, there were unusually high temperatures this year. This Thursday the weather brought good news. Some snow has fallen in the area and temperatures have dropped, slowing the spread of the fire, which had been growing uncontrollably since Monday, when it was declared for reasons still unknown.
According to the Forest Service, several fires have spread and become interconnected. With flat terrain and abundant weeds and grasses, the winds spread the flames at high speeds. The fire has destroyed or threatened a dozen towns where evacuations were ordered: Canadian, Glazier, Double Diamond, Arrowhead Addition, Maverick Village, Alibates, McBride, Mullinaw and Harbor Bay. Classes were canceled in many school districts.
According to local authorities, tens of thousands of cattle have died on ranches in the affected areas. Images of the worst-hit areas show burnt houses and cars. Residents are likely “unprepared for what they will see when they come into town,” Hutchinson County Emergency Management spokeswoman Deidra Thomas said in a live social media broadcast reported by the AP she compared the damage to that of a tornado.
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Near Borger, a community of about 13,000 residents, emergency officials at one point responded on Facebook to questions from panicked residents, urging 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, AP reports. He added that they were able to save themselves because the wind blew from the opposite direction and drove away the fire.
The federal administration is assisting state authorities in both Texas and neighboring Oklahoma, which is also affected by the fire. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) to deploy additional emergency resources “to ensure the safety of Texans and affected communities,” he said in a statement. “I encourage Texans in affected areas to follow the guidance of local officials and first responders and take all necessary precautions to protect your family and loved ones.” Abbott issued a disaster declaration for 60 counties.
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