From residents to ranchers, Texans are grappling with the ongoing devastation stemming from some of the biggest wildfires in the state’s history.
On Saturday, fires continued to burn throughout parts of northern Texas, much of which are considered cattle country. The wildfires have destroyed as many as 500 homes and structures, according to Texas Gov. Greg Abbott. At least two people have died.
In a Facebook video on the Texas A&M Forest Service’s Incident Information page, Blue Team Operations Section Chief Mike Brod said his team remained vigilant as red flag warnings from the National Weather Service remained in effect Saturday for the entire Panhandle region.
According to the weather service, an increased risk of fire danger in northern Texas remains Saturday due to warm temperatures, very low humidities and strong winds.
“Given the critical weather that’s predicted for today, we do anticipate additional fire activity and we’re prioritizing our suppression efforts on the areas of the highest concern,” Brod said Saturday morning.
Efforts to contain five fires near Amarillo, Texas remained ongoing Saturday afternoon, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.
The Smokehouse Creek Fire, which covers more than 1 million acres, remains 15% contained and the nearby 687 Reamer Fire was 10% contained as of Saturday. The remaining three fires are between 60% and 85% contained.
Panhandle region resident and rancher Steve Rader said that when he was asked to evacuate his home on Tuesday the fires felt “like a blowtorch just pulling over.”
When Rader returned to his ranch on Friday, his home was gone.
“This is our first time walking here. It is all gone,” he told NBC News. “I’ve never seen such a big big area burn.”
An estimated 85% of the roughly 12 million cattle in Texas come from the Panhandle region, among the most affected by the fires.
According to Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, cattle and crop losses in that area “are significant and…
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