Smokehouse Creek fire, largest in Texas history, contained

Source: UK Independent

35 minutes ago


The Smokehouse Creek Fire, the largest blaze in Texas history and one of the largest in the country has been contained nearly three weeks after it broke out due to a falling electrical poll.

Officials with the Texas A&M Forest Service, the organisation that normally manages wildfires, reported the news in a “final update” social media post on Saturday. The blaze burnt more than 1 million acres of grassland in the state’s panhandle region.

Separately, the Windy Deuce Fire, which incinerated more than 100,000 acres, is also under control, meaning that it has been stopped from spreading. The blazes have transitioned back to local units who will continue to monitor for developments.

Several wildfires broke out across the Panhandle region at the end of February. Thousands of cattle were lost, at least two civilians and one volunteer fire chief died, and multiple families were displaced from their homes as the blaze burned hundreds of structures. Xcel Energy admitted one of its power lines may have been involved in the Smokehouse Creek fire earlier this month.

Read more: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/smokehouse-creek-texas-wildfire-b2514066.html