Firefighters make significant progress heading into 3rd week of Texas Panhandle wildfires

Alex Driggars, Amarillo Globe-News
·3 min read
1

Monday marked two weeks since a series of deadly wildfires sparked in the Texas Panhandle, killing two people and thousands of cattle, ravaging more than a million acres and hundreds of structures.

Two fires are still burning going into the third week, including the largest wildfire in Texas history, while several others have been fully contained as firefighters made significant progress last week and into the weekend.

By 2 p.m. Monday, the Smokehouse Creek Fire had burned 1,058,482 acres and was 89% contained, according to the latest update from the Texas A&M Forest Service (TAMFS). Firefighters were able to increase containment from 87% on Friday and 74% on Thursday. On Wednesday last week, the fire was only 44% contained.

Firefighters on Sunday worked to extinguish spots of burning vegetation on the inside of containment lines, TAMFS said, but there was no threat to containment of the fire.

On Feb. 29, the Smokehouse Creek Fire surpassed a million acres and became the largest wildfire ever to burn in the state of Texas. The fire, which started near Stinnett in Hutchinson County Feb. 26, has scorched about 90% of Roberts County, devastated Canadian and Hemphill County, and also burned portions of Carson, Gray and Wheeler counties in Texas and Ellis and Roger Mills counties in Oklahoma.

More: At least 7,000 cows have died in historic Texas wildfires, official says

Ranchers are utilizing the much-needed donated hay to keep their cattle fed after wildfires blackened the pastures that cattle would typically be grazing as spring arrives.
Ranchers are utilizing the much-needed donated hay to keep their cattle fed after wildfires blackened the pastures that cattle would typically be grazing as spring arrives.

The second-largest fire still burning in the Texas Panhandle, the Windy Deuce Fire which started in Moore County and spread to Hutchinson, Potter and Carson counties, is 94% contained as of Monday afternoon, TAMFS said. Crews continue to mop up and check for hot spots near the containment lines of that fire, which has burned 144,045 acres.

Three smaller fires have been contained in the last week. Sunday afternoon, TAMFS announced the Grape Vine Creek Fire in Gray County south of Lefors was 100% contained, burning 34,883 acres. The Magenta Fire in Oldham County and the the Roughneck Fire in Hutchinson county were fully contained last Tuesday.

Panhandle wildfire containment numbers

  • Smokehouse Creek Fire — 1,058,482 acres and 89% contained.

  • Windy Deuce — 144,045 acres and 94% contained.

  • Grapevine Creek —34,883 acres and 100% contained.

  • Magenta — 3,297 acres and 100% contained.

  • Roughneck — 335 acres and 100% contained.

  • Gray 0375 — 40 acres and 100% contained.

These numbers are accurate as of 2 p.m. Monday.

Fire weather returns to Texas Panhandle

The Texas and Oklahoma panhandles experienced a resurgence of critical fire weather conditions on Monday, with extremely dry fuels, low relative humidities and gusty winds prevalent especially in the western panhandles, according to the National Weather Service in Amarillo.

Related: Xcel Energy confirms company's infrastructure likely started Smokehouse Creek fire

Critical fire weather conditions will continue into Tuesday for the southwestern Texas Panhandle, with extremely dry fuels, wind gusts up to 30 mph and relative humidities as low as 10% expected across Armstrong, Carson, Deaf Smith, Oldham, Potter and Randall counties, the NWS predicted.

The southwestern Panhandle, as well as the northwestern South Plains and portions of Eastern New Mexico, remain under a fire weather watch until 8 p.m. Tuesday.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: Texas Panhandle wildfire update: Fires mostly contained after 2 weeks