Gov. Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration on Feb. 28 for 60 Texas counties as wildfires continued to sweep across the state’s Panhandle, prompting evacuations, power outages for thousands, and a brief shutdown of a nuclear weapons facility.
Strong winds, dry grass, and unseasonably warm temperatures fed the main blaze, the Smokehouse Creek fire, north of Amarillo. It quickly grew into the second-largest wildfire in the state’s history.
By Feb. 28, it had scorched an estimated 500,000 acres, or about 800 square miles, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.
In addition to the disaster declaration for 60 counties, Gov. Abbott also directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management to activate additional emergency response resources to assist local firefighters working to contain multiple wildfires.
“The State of Texas stands ready to provide support to our local partners and deploy all resources needed to protect our fellow Texans and their property.”
The governor has urged the public to limit activities that could spark additional fires.
“I also want to thank the brave firefighters and first responders who are working tirelessly to protect their fellow Texans,” he said.
Pantex Plant, the nation’s primary site for nuclear arsenal assembly and dismantlement, briefly paused operations on Feb. 27. The plant made its last new bomb in 1991 and has dismantled thousands since.
Nonessential staff was evacuated from the site out of an “abundance of caution,” Laef Pendergraft, spokesperson for the National Nuclear Security Administration’s production office at Pantex, said during a news conference. Firefighters remained on site in case of an emergency.
‘Like a Ring of Fire’
In Borger, a community of about 13,000 in Hutchinson County, Adrianna Hill said she and her family were terrified as fire encircled the entire town until the winds shifted.“It was like a ring of fire around Borger. There was no way out ... all four main roads were closed,” Ms. Hill, 28, said.
The fire closed to about a mile from her family’s home, which she shares with her husband and 20-month-old son.
“What saved our butts was that northern wind ... it blew it in the opposite direction,” Ms. Hill said. “We were scared, but every night I pray ... and that’s all I can do.”
The weather forecast offered hope for firefighters, with cooler temperatures, lighter winds, and a chance of rain and snow on Feb. 29.
However, the situation remains dire in some areas.
As evacuation orders mounted, county and city officials livestreamed on Facebook and tried to answer questions from panicked residents. Officials implored them to turn on their cell phone emergency alerts and be ready to evacuate immediately.
The Hemphill County Sheriff’s Office urged Canadian residents, a community of about 2,000, who didn’t evacuate to shelter in place or at the high school gym because of road closures.
Some residents in the small town of Fritch were also ordered to leave their homes after a fire jumped a highway.
“Everything south of Highway 136 in Fritch, evacuate now! The fire has jumped HWY. 136,” city officials wrote on Facebook at about 3 p.m. local time on Feb. 27.
On Feb. 28, the community reported it had lost power and placed residents on a boil water notice.
“Due to loss in electricity that caused reduced distribution system pressure, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality has required the city of Fritch public water system to notify all customers to boil their water prior to consumption (e.g. washing hands/face, brushing teeth, drinking, etc.),” officials said.
Officials northeast of Amarillo, in Durham, Oklahoma, also encouraged residents to flee as the fires neared the state line.
On Feb. 27, the city of Amarillo issued evacuations for residents in the Mesilla Park area on the northeastern side of town.
