Fires raging in North Texas have killed at least one person, as firefighters struggle to control one of the largest blazes in the US state’s history, according to local media.
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The Smokehouse Creek fire, an area known for its grasslands, was only 3% contained. The huge blaze, which spread following strong winds and unseasonably warm temperatures, has already burned 344,000 hectares.
In the small town of Stinnett, an 83-year-old grandmother died in the fire, a Hutchinson County official told local media Wednesday evening, adding that at least 20 buildings there had been destroyed.
About a hundred kilometers to the east, in the town of Canadian, which has some 2,300 inhabitants, “several houses burned,” Mayor Terrill Bartlett told CNN, but “fortunately, no one was seriously injured.” hurt”.
According to CNN meteorologist Chad Myers, the fire is moving at a speed of two football fields per second.
In total, the five ongoing fires in the state, including Smokehouse Creek, have burned more than 430,000 hectares. As of Wednesday evening, 18 other fires had been contained.
The National Weather Service in Amarillo, the region’s largest city, said Wednesday that cool temperatures “accompanied by light winds” were expected, which should help firefighters battle the blazes, authorities hope.
In the town of Borger, authorities shared images of still smoldering areas devastated by fire. They said they had opened a shelter for displaced people.
Evacuation orders were also given for a large part of the neighboring town of Fritch, largely deprived of water and electricity.
Governor Greg Abbott declared a state of disaster for 60 counties on Tuesday. Fires near the city of Amarillo have temporarily shut down America’s main nuclear bomb factory.
US President Joe Biden is being kept informed of the situation, with the White House in contact with authorities on the front lines of the fire, spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said.
This week, cities across the United States and Canada recorded record temperatures for February, with some even experiencing summer heat. According to experts, in addition to climate change, the El Niño weather phenomenon is to blame.
