The first victim of Texas’ Smokehouse Creek Fire was identified Wednesday as an 83-year-old grandmother, as a massive wildfire cluster grows to become the largest in Texas history.
Joyce Blankenship, a former substitute teacher, was identified by her family as the sole victim of the fire after her body was discovered inside her burnt-out home, authorities said. According to CNN.
Officials confirmed the death in the Scotts Acres area of Stinnett, but did not release the identity of the victim.
Her step-grandson, Lee Quesada, said Blankenship was a beloved member of the small Hutchinson County community and “will be missed by everyone.”
Her other grandson, Nathan Blankenship, said his father and father tried to call her on Tuesday, the day before he received news of her death, as fires broke out in the hard-hit area. He said it was a waste.
“The house was gone,” Nathan told the network. “There was no way for her to get out.”
Authorities had not yet completed a thorough search for the victim.
Since starting on Monday, the Smokehouse Creek Fire has rapidly spread to more than 1,300 square miles and spread to parts of Oklahoma.
“I think the fire is going to spread before it’s completely extinguished,” said Nim Kidd, director of the Texas Division of Emergency Management.
The Texas A&M Forest Service says the fire, which is larger than the state of Rhode Island, is only about 3% contained.
As many as 23 separate fires broke out Thursday morning, officials added.
The Smokehouse Creek Fire occurred on the heels of the state’s largest fire on record, the 2006 East Amarillo Complex Fire, which burned approximately 1,400 square miles and killed 13 people.
The weather forecast gave firefighters some hope. Thursday will bring cooler temperatures, less wind and possibly some rain, but more fires will start on Saturday and Sunday as heat and high winds are likely to cause “another significant fire weather condition” conditions are expected, the National Weather Service said. Amarillo Service said:
Hemphill County Emergency Management Coordinator Bill Kendall said the massive fire has charred much of Texas “like a moonscape.” Kendall said about 40 homes in the Canadian town were burned to the ground and hundreds of cattle were killed.
Meanwhile, the small town of Fritch, which lost hundreds of homes in a fire in 2014, appears to have been hit hard again. Mayor Tom Ray said Wednesday that 40 to 50 homes had already been destroyed in the town of about 2,200 people.
Texas Sen. Ted Cruz said people in affected areas must be ready to move if necessary.
“Wildfires in the Texas Panhandle are raging. My teams across the state are continuing to closely monitor the ongoing situation,” he wrote to X. “We urge those affected to heed the warnings of local authorities and be prepared to avoid danger.”
On Tuesday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott A disaster declaration has been issued. Wildfires spread rapidly in the Lone Star State, affecting 60 Texas counties.
This declaration allows additional state resources to support local firefighters.
More than 7,000 Texas households lost power around 8:30 a.m. Thursday morning, but power was restored to about 3,000 customers 30 minutes later. According to US power outage information.
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