Second largest wildfire in Texas force Evacuations
The second-largest wildfire ever recorded in Texas surged through the state’s panhandle alongside several other significant blazes, causing evacuations, school closures, and a temporary shutdown of the nation’s primary nuclear weapons facility.
Originating on Monday, the fires swiftly expanded on Tuesday fueled by strong winds, dry conditions, and unusually high temperatures that shattered records nationwide. By Wednesday morning, the most extensive fire, dubbed the Smokehouse Creek Fire, sprawled across over 500,000 acres – roughly 800 square miles – spanning two counties and encroaching into neighboring Oklahoma. The magnitude of the Smokehouse Creek Fire, surpassing half the area of Rhode Island, ranks it among the largest wildfires ever witnessed in Texas, trailing only the 2006 Amarillo East Complex fires which resulted in 12 fatalities and consumed over 900,000 acres.