Garima Sharma, Pune
Two people have died because of the wildfire that has destroyed more than 1.2 million acres in a week in the Texas Panhandle. According to the reports, there are five more fires burning in the region.
The two people who died in the blaze are identified as Joyce Blankenship, an 83-year-old resident of the Stinnet suburbs. She lost her life in her house on February 27 when the fire broke out on her land. The second casualty is of Cindy Owen, a 44-year-old passed from the burns while she was driving from Oklahoma back to Amarillo in her company truck.
Smokehouse Creek fire in Hutchinson County is the largest fire and the most destructive one. 1.1 million acres has been consumed by it and it is termed as the largest wildfire in the history of the state. Around 15% of the fire has been contained till now.
The other fires include the Windy Deuce Fire in Moore County, which has burned 144, 206 acres and is 55% contained, the Magenta Fire in Oldham County, which has burned about 3,300 acres and is 85% contained, the New Roughneck Fire in Hutchinson County, which has grown to an estimated 300 acres and is 25% contained. The Grape Vine Creek Fire in Gray County is the other fire.
On February 27th, a disaster declaration was issued by Texas Governor Greg Abbott for around 60 counties. As of now, in regions like eastern Texas, where there is little precipitation, the wildfire season is expected to run longer. Additionally areas that are frequently threatened by wildfires may move eastward as a result of faster fuel drying due to climate change.
According to the reports, several fire engines are en route to the States. Helicopters, small aircrafts and air tankers are used to combat the fire. According to the Texas A&M Forest Services, 100 firefighters are stretched across five wildfires spread over 1.2 million acres of the area.
However, a wet winter did not cause the Smokehouse Creek Fire to spread so quickly or burn so fiercely; rather, it was made worse by the extended drought. The causes of this type of intense fire behavior are more complex than one might initially imagine.