Power lines sparked a massive wildfire across the Texas Panhandle, killing at least two people, destroying homes and livestock and leaving a scorched landscape, officials said Thursday. The largest fire in state history.
The Texas A&M Forest Service is fighting both the historic Smokehouse Creek Fire, which has burned about 1,700 square miles (4,400 square kilometers) and spilled into neighboring Oklahoma, and the nearby Windy Deuce Fire, which has burned about 225 homes. Investigators have concluded that a power line ignited the fire. square miles (582 square kilometers). The statement did not elaborate on what caused the power lines to ignite the fire.
Utility company Xcel Energy said its equipment appears to have caused the Smokehouse Creek fire. The Minnesota-based company said in a news release that it does not believe its equipment caused the Windy Deuce fire and is not aware of any such allegations. . A company spokesperson said in an email that there are power lines in the area owned and operated by various companies.
The forest fire is lit last week In wind-swept rural areas, a few small communities were evacuated and destroyed. 500 structures and killed thousands of cows. When the fire started on February 26, wind speeds in the area were reaching 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour). High winds, dry grass and temperatures reaching the 70s and 80s fueled the blaze.
Containment levels are improving. The Smokehouse Creek Fire was 74% contained as of Thursday, while the Windy Deuce Fire was 89% contained. But the Forest Service warned that strong winds would blow into the dry region, increasing the risk of fires.
Downed power lines and other utilities have contributed to other large wildfires, including last year’s deadly Maui wildfires and California’s massive 2019 wildfires.
A lawsuit filed last week in Hemphill County alleges that a downed power line near the town of Stinnett started the Smokehouse Creek Fire on Feb. 26. The lawsuit, filed against Xcel Energy on behalf of Stinnett homeowners, alleges the fire was caused by “the defendants’ failure to properly inspect, maintain, and replace the tree poles, which cracked and ruptured from their roots.” It is claimed that the fire broke out when it broke.
Xcel Energy disputed claims of negligence in maintaining and operating the infrastructure in a news release Thursday.
In a statement following Xcel Energy’s news release, attorney Mikal Watts, who filed the lawsuit on behalf of the homeowners, said Wednesday’s inspection of the fallen utility pole “will be removed from use for an extended period of time. A severely deteriorated wooden pillar was discovered.” Before. He said the company that inspects Xcel Energy’s utility poles had previously discovered that the poles were in such poor condition that they were unsafe to climb and needed to be replaced immediately. It is said to have been tagged with a red tag.
Excel did not immediately respond to Watts’ comments.
Two women have been confirmed dead in last week’s wildfires. One of the men was engulfed in flames after exiting the truck in southern Canada, and the body of the other was found in a burned home in Stinnett. On Tuesday, a fire chief died while responding to a house fire in one of the hardest-hit towns. Officials said the fire was not caused by a wildfire, but Fritch Fire Chief Zeb Smith They had been fighting the wildfire tirelessly for more than a week. An autopsy will determine Smith’s cause of death.
A small town called Fritsch. Hundreds of homes were lost in the 2014 wildfires, and dozens more were destroyed last week. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott this week ordered flags at Fritch to be lowered to half-staff in Smith’s honor.
The Associated Press requested a complete report from the Forest Service on the cause of the Smokehouse Creek and Windy Deuce fires.
Dale Smith, who runs a large ranch east of Stinnett, worked last week to tally up the number of cows lost to the wildfires. At the time, he said he believed a faulty power line was likely the cause and was concerned about maintenance of the line.
“These fires are becoming commonplace,” he said. “Lives are being lost. Livestock is being lost. Livelihoods are being lost. It’s a sad story that keeps repeating itself.”
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Associated Press journalist Sean Murphy contributed to this report from Oklahoma City.
