'Ghastly sight': Thousands of cattle killed in historic 2024 Texas Panhandle wildfires

Thousands of livestock have been killed in the wildfires that have ripped across the Texas Panhandle over the past week, inflicting unprecedented damage upon the largest cattle region in the nation.

Officials surveying the damage said more than 3,600 cattle have died since the fires – some of which are still burning – spread through multiple counties and into Oklahoma, destroying hundreds of homes and killing at least two people. The number of dead cattle is expected to double or triple in the coming days as land is inspected and animals are euthanized because of burn injuries and trauma, Sid Miller, commissioner of the Texas Department of Agriculture, told USA TODAY.

"It's a ghastly sight," Miller said, recounting hundreds of cows lying dead on smoldering fields. "We've never seen anything like this."

The largest of the blazes, the Smokehouse Creek fire, burned more than 1 million acres, an area larger than the state of Rhode Island, and is the largest wildfire in state history. Though authorities have not said what caused the fires, citing early investigations, a lawsuit filed in county court last week said a downed utility pole in Stinnett was to blame.

Texas is home to 11 million livestock animals, 85% of them in the panhandle, the country's most prominent region for beef production, Miller said. The mass deaths probably won't affect the price of beef around the nation, but it has already devastated local ranchers, many who have maintained businesses that have been in their families for generations, he said.

"They've lost their livestock, ranches, all their belongings, all their family heirlooms," Miller said. "Many of them just have the shirt on their back."

The Smokehouse Creek fire quadrupled in size in less than 48 hours, catching officials, civilians and farmers off guard and unable to prevent widespread damage. Miller said several large ranchers cut down their own fences so their livestock could escape into surrounding wheat fields; other farmers barely had enough time to get themselves out alive.

Dozens of residents joined the massive recovery effort, donating money, food and equipment to their neighbors. Trailers packed with hay, feed and other supplies have answered the need for vital sustenance as the wildfires consumed the cattle's primary food source.

"This is ranchers helping ranchers," said Jason Smith, a beef cattle specialist and associate professor for Texas A&M University. He noted that some farms were untouched or suffered little damage, while others were destroyed.

Several nearby ranches have loaned out tractors and other heavy equipment to pile up and transport the carcasses before they can be buried or incinerated. Chance Bowers, who operates a ranch in Hansford County, about 80 miles northeast of Amarillo, said such equipment was used to move hundreds of cattle that died either from burns or smoke inhalation.

“We were right in the middle of calving season,” Bowers said. “In a few weeks, we’ll really know what we lost. ... This pasture alone, there’s 70 dead.”

Though the fires are still burning, local officials said they've seen enough damage to know recovery won't come quickly.

"A lot of these people are going to have to sell," Miller said. "They have no grass, no infrastructure, no fences, no cattle. They'll sell and wait for better days. ... It'll take a couple of years to get things back in shape."

Contributing: The Associated Press; Lubbock Avalanche Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Texas fires: Thousands of cattle killed in Smokehouse Creek blaze