Wildfires in Texas Panhandle grow, prompt disaster declaration

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Texas’ governor issued a disaster declaration Tuesday for 60 counties because of wildfires burning in parts of the Panhandle that have prompted warnings for residents to leave in some areas.

No deaths have been reported in the fires, which officials say are being fueled by hot, dry conditions.

“I issued a disaster declaration today to ensure critical fire response resources are swiftly deployed to areas in the Texas Panhandle being impacted by devastating wildfires,” Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement.

In Hutchinson County, northeast of Amarillo, the so-called Smokehouse Creek Fire was around 250,000 acres and 0% contained as of Tuesday evening, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service, a state agency.

The fire broke out Monday, and by Tuesday morning its size was reported at around 100,000 acres, according to the forest service.

The National Weather Service described fire conditions in Hutchinson County on Tuesday as “critical,” with very dry grass and maximum wind gusts of 65 mph.

The community of Scotts Acres in Stinnett, a city of around 1,600 that is the seat of Hutchinson County, was under a mandatory evacuation order Tuesday, officials said. The gas to the city had been shut off Tuesday; it was later turned back on.

Video on social media from the Stinnett area showed cattle running across a field behind a vehicle, with smoke from the fires behind them.

Katlyn Butler said the video was of cattle being released to escape the fires near the Turkey Track Ranch, east of Stinnett, NBC affiliate KAMR of Amarillo reported.

“We’ve been on fire for 24 hours,” Butler said. She added that “our ranch is on its own as all fire departments had to move into town to save communities.”

The city of Pampa, population around 16,000, suggested a voluntary evacuation Tuesday. “All resources are still fighting the fire north of town,” Pampa’s government said on Facebook.

In Canadian, to the east, schools were canceled for Wednesday.

“I hope everyone is safe,” the superintendent of the Canadian Independent School District, Lynn Pulliam, said in a message to the community.

By Tuesday evening, “red flag” warnings, which indicate an increased risk of wildfires, covered northwestern and northern Texas, most of Oklahoma and southwestern Missouri, according to the weather service.

High wind warnings were also issued across northwestern Texas.

In addition to the Smokehouse Creek Fire, the Grape Vine Creek Fire, also in the Texas Panhandle, was around 30,000 acres with 20% containment, and the Juliet Pass Fire was a little more than 2,900 acres and 90% contained, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.