Wildfires in Texas Grow to One of Largest in the US State’s History

The US state of Texas suffered a devastating loss as a group of wildfires scorched the Texas Panhandle on Wednesday. The wildfire, which first ignited on Monday, has raged across 850,000 acres—larger than the US state of Rhode Island—becoming one of the largest fires ever seen in the state.

The fire, which moved quickly, consumed small towns and cattle ranches.

 Evacuation efforts fell underway, but roughly 35 residents who tried to leave and found the roadways blocked by fire had to take shelter in a “safe room” at an emergency operations center, according to Lisa Johnson, a judge in Hemphill County who had to spend the night there.

More than 13,000 homes and businesses in Texas were without power as of Wednesday morning, and more than 4,000 of those in the Panhandle region alone, according to PowerOutage.us.

According to a spokesperson for the Forest Service, about 200 firefighters were on the ground, working across the Panhandle fighting several wildfires, though most were focused on the Smokehouse Creek Fire.