The largest wildfire in Texas history continues to spread, having burned nearly 1,700 square miles so far.
Fueled by strong winds and dry conditions, the Smokehouse Creek fire has destroyed homes and killed two people in rural parts of the Texas Panhandle and crossed into Oklahoma.
“We had to watch from a few miles away as our neighborhood burned,” resident Danny Phillips said.
Snow and rain provided temporary relief on Thursday but worsening fire weather is forecast for the weekend, posing a challenge for firefighters.
“It’s all in anticipation of the weather … we’re expected to receive this weekend, we’re trying to take advantage of the good weather right now,” Texas A&M Forest Service spokesperson Juan Rodriguez said.
“It was certainly beneficial for us and the crews on the ground, it certainly put moisture in the ground,” Rodriguez said.
The small town of Stinnett suffered significant damage, with many homes reduced to ash.
Residents returned to scenes of devastation and melted cars.
“The snow helps,” firefighter Lee Jones said. “We’re just hitting all the hot spots around town, the houses that have already burned.”
“The rain and the snow is beneficial right now — we’re using it to our advantage,” Rodriguez said. “When the fire isn’t blowing up and moving very fast, firefighters are able to actually catch up and get to those parts of the fire.”
President Biden has pledged federal support for firefighting and recovery efforts.
“When disasters strike, there’s no red states or blue states where I come from,” Biden said. “Just communities and families looking for help. So we’re standing with everyone affected by these wildfires and we’re going to continue to help you respond and recover.”
Officials are concerned about the fire’s large size and changing conditions in coming days.
“I don’t want the community there to feel a false sense of security that all these fires will not grow anymore,” Texas Division of Emergency Management chief Nim Kidd said. “This is still a very dynamic situation.”
“Around here, the weather, we get all four seasons in a week,” Stinnett resident Jeremiah Kaslon said. “It can be hot, hot and windy, and it will be snowing the next day. It’s just that time of year.”
“There’ll be cattle that we’ll have to euthanize,” Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said. “They’ll have burned hooves, burned udders.”
