Fire crews in the Texas Panhandle are battling the state's largest wildfire, hoping to harness a lull in wind gusts that have fueled the inferno, which has devastated the cattle-ranching region.
The Smokehouse Creek Fire, a devastating wildfire, has engulfed over 1 million acres, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service's latest data.
Terrill Bartlett, mayor of Canadian, Texas, criticized the fire as "terrible" and stated that the ground was black in all directions, stating that "terrible" is not strong enough.
A fire has spread eastward across the Panhandle, causing at least two deaths, dozens of torched homes, and hundreds of square feet of damage across the state's border with Oklahoma.
Firefighters have managed to contain a blaze, but danger persists as wind is expected to increase over the weekend, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service spokesperson.
The speaker predicts hot, dry, and windy days in the coming days, which will cause heavy fuels to ignite and carry embers into unburned fuel.
Texas Governor Gregg Abbott announced that between 400 and 500 structures have been destroyed, citing a "premature assessment" that is likely to change.
Abbott stated that we are facing significant fire risks this weekend and urge everyone to remain vigilant.
Canadian fire chief Scott Brewster reported that 109 homes and several other structures were destroyed in the town and surrounding Hemphill County.
W. Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management, stated that assessing full damages due to the ongoing fire is challenging.
Kidd refrained from providing an update on the number of acres burned and the level of containment achieved by fire crews to avoid causing false confidence.
Texas A&M's Dugan reported a conservative estimate of 5% containment, up from 3% on Thursday.
DEVASTATION SCENES
Canadian grasslands have turned into a war zone with thousands of cattle corpses littering the charred fields, according to Wes Avent, owner of a local ranch supply store.
Avent transformed his store into a temporary station for distributing donated feed, fencing, and other supplies to ranchers.
The main task at hand is to promptly distribute feed and hay to the cattle that have survived.
On Friday, a line of tractor trailers spanned miles along the Canadian highway, preparing to deliver cattle feed and other supplies to desperate ranchers.
A woman died in a wildfire in Pampa, Texas, after being overcome with smoke and flames while driving her truck. Her family reported her death on Thursday, and she was rushed to a burn center in Oklahoma City.
A fire in Hutchinson County, northeast of Amarillo, resulted in the death of an 83-year-old woman, according to local media.
Brewster, the fire chief, stated that the total number of cattle lost is unknown, but one rancher reported losing 700 cattle. The exact number is uncertain, but it will likely be high.
The National Weather Service's Weather Prediction Center in Maryland predicts no rain and winds of up to 45 miles per hour for the Texas Panhandle over the weekend.
Oravec stated that the lack of moisture content in southwest winds contributes to more fires, as it dries out the burned materials.
The Smokehouse Creek Fire in Texas has charred 1.08 million acres (437,060 hectares), making it the largest fire in state history, following a 2006 fire that charred about 900,000 acres (364,220 hectares).
Texas A&M reports that the Windy Deuce fire, the largest in the Panhandle, has been 50% contained after consuming 142,000 acres.