Several wildfires are ravaging northern Texas thanks to dry, windy and unseasonably warm conditions in the region.
On Monday, thirteen fires across Texas burned a total of 77,135 acres, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service. Now, firefighters are still combatting several active fires across the Texas panhandle.
The northernmost fire, named Smokehouse Creek, is at zero per cent containment as of late Tuesday afternoon and is estimated to be 200,000 acres. Meanwhile, the much smaller Windy Deuce and Grape Vine Creek fires are at 20 per cent containment, while the Juliet Pass fire is at 90 per cent.
Several counties are under emergency evacuation orders as flames continue to scorch the region.
Meanwhile, two fires are burning in eastern Texas. The Mills Creek and San Jacinto fires are both at 0 per cent containment.
Dry and windy conditions amid unseasonably warm temperatures fuelled these fires. Drought conditions are not contributing — much of the panhandle has no drought, with just small portions of the western panhandle considered “abnormally dry” or in “moderate drought.”
Winds could reach up to 65 miles per hour today, the National Weather Service (NWS) forecasts. Additional fires have continued to develop throughout Tuesday afternoon, the NWS for Amarillo, Texas said on X.