Panhandle is Engulfed in a Texas Wildfire, Forcing Evacuations

A large wildfire that has burned over 250,000 acres in the Texas Panhandle has been fueled by dry and extremely warm weather. As a result, the area has been completely enveloped in heavy smoke, road closures, and widespread evacuations. Since it started on Monday afternoon, the Smokehouse Creek Fire—which is currently the largest of several wildfires in northern Texas—has grown quickly. This has been made worse by red flag conditions, which indicate intense fire behavior. The Smokehouse Creek Fire surpassed the total acreage burned by all flames in the state of Texas last year to become the fifth-largest wildfire in Texas history as of Tuesday evening. A number of localities, including those in Moore and Potter counties as well as those of Roberts County close to the Oklahoma border, are under an evacuation order. The neighboring state of Oklahoma is also experiencing wildfires, which is forcing evacuations.