Devastating wildfires, the second-largest in the Lone Star state’s history, are sweeping across the Texas Panhandle since Monday forcing evacuations and a temporary shutdown of a nuclear weapons facility late Tuesday.
Gov. Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for 60 counties after flames spreading at an average rate of 150 football fields per minute burned more than 500,000 acres.
The wildfires left over 5,400 Texans without power as of Wednesday morning and evacuations were ordered in Skellytown, Allison, Wheeler, and Briscoe.
“Homes have burned in almost every direction,” Hemphill County Judge Lisa Johnson reported.
Meteorologists believe the unseasonably warm conditions and gusty winds stimulated the flames.
“The Smokehouse Creek fire is being fueled by southwesterly winds to 60 mph and is rapidly spreading east-northeast towards the Texas town of Canadian,” AccuWeather expert Guy Pearson said.
Officials and firefighters hope cooler temperatures and less windy conditions expected for Thursday will help stop the spreading of the fire.
