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The devastation wrought by deadly wildfires that have killed two people, destroyed thousands of cattle and charred more than 1 million acres could intensify as ferocious winds and dry air fuel flames Friday and through the weekend.
The most destructive blaze, the Smokehouse Creek Fire, is now Texas’ largest wildfire on record – swallowing at least 1,050,000 acres in the state and another 31,500 acres in Oklahoma. As of Friday morning, the mammoth inferno was only 15% contained.
It’s one of four wildfires tearing across the Texas Panhandle this week, destroying dozens of homes and leaving businesses in shambles. Together, the fires have scorched an amount of land roughly equivalent to the state of Delaware.
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• The second-largest blaze burning in Texas, the Windy Deuce Fire, has torched 142,000 acres and was 55% contained as of Thursday night, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.
• The Grape Vine Creek Fire has incinerated 30,000 acres and is 60% contained.
• The Magenta Fire has seared 3,300 acres and is 85% contained.
• Rough terrain and topography have hindered firefighters from accessing parts of the Smokehouse Creek Fire, Texas A&M Forest Service spokesperson Juan Rodriguez said Thursday evening. The agency has about 200 personnel battling the blaze, he said.
• After a brief slowdown Thursday due to lighter winds and some precipitation, the Smokehouse Creek Fire will likely spread faster Friday and this weekend as drier air and stronger winds sweep in.
• High temperatures in the Texas and Oklahoma panhandles will reach the 80s on Saturday and Sunday. Winds could gust up to 40 mph by Sunday, according to the National Weather Service office in Amarillo, Texas.
• The heightened fire risk comes as Texans prepare to celebrate the state’s Independence Day on Saturday, prompting urgent warnings from officials to exercise extreme caution when using fireworks.
• A staggering 400,000 acres have been burned in Hemphill County, where scores of homes have been destroyed and thousands of cattle have died, Hemphill County AgriLife Extension agent Andy Holloway said. A truck driver was killed in Hemphill County by the Smokehouse Creek fire, her family said.
• Another woman was killed when her home was destroyed in Hutchinson County, her family said. Search-and-rescue crews have started clearing neighborhoods in the county, and officials encouraged anyone with missing loved ones in the area to contact a Wildfire Information Line.
• The city of Fritch, Texas, is under a boil water notice – though Hutchinson County officials acknowledged that’s “hard to do since many residents are without electricity and or gas.” Water bottles are being distributed at several churches and other locations, officials said.
• Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is scheduled to visit the panhandle Friday and hold an afternoon press conference.
‘She basically couldn’t breathe … and didn’t make it’
Truck driver Cindy Owen was working about 50 miles north of Pampa, Texas, on Tuesday when she got caught in the Smokehouse Creek Fire, her sister-in-law told CNN.
“She basically couldn’t breathe, and she evacuated the truck and tried to run for safety and didn’t make it,” said Jennifer Mitchell, the wife of Owen’s brother. “So she was found with burns, and it was about 90% of her body.”
Owen was on a video chat as the disaster unfolded, and family members scrambled to find someone to help her, Mitchell said.
Family photo
Truck driver Cindy Owen often pulled over to give people coats on cold days, her sister-in-law said.
But the inferno quickly overwhelmed her. Owen died as a result of the fire in Hemphill County, Texas Department of Public Safety Sgt. Chris Ray said.
Owen, 44, was devoted to her family and “would do anything for anybody,” including pulling over on cold days to give people coats, her sister-in-law said.
“She was everybody’s friend, and everybody knew her,” Mitchell said. “There’s nothing bad to say about her. She was the best person ever.”
In nearby Hutchinson County, 83-year-old Joyce Blankenship was also killed by the Smokehouse Creek Fire, her family said.
“The house was gone,” her grandson Nathan Blankenship said. “There was no way she could’ve gotten out.”
The beloved grandmother was well-known in the small community of Stinnett, her step-grandson Lee Quesada said.
“She used to be a substitute teacher in the area before she became a housewife,” Quesada said. “She will be missed by all.”
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The wildfires have killed thousands of cattle and destroyed vital equipment in the Texas Panhandle.
The 120-year-old Turkey Track Ranch – nicknamed the “Prize of the Panhandle” – estimates 80% of its nearly 80,000-acre property has been scorched.
“The loss of livestock, crops, and wildlife, as well as ranch fencing and other infrastructure throughout our property, as well as other ranches and homes across the region is, we believe, unparalleled in our history,” the Turkey Track Ranch Family Group said in a statement.
But the group also expressed optimism: “Nature mends after fire and will grow again all the natural grasses, vegetation, and tree cover in our beloved ranch oasis.”
David Erickson/AP
Firefighters battle the Smokehouse Creek Fire north of Canadian, Texas, on Wednesday.
Texas Department of Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said the damage could be “catastrophic” to the region.
“These fires not only threaten lives and property but will also have a substantial impact on our agriculture industry,” Miller said. “Over 85% of the state’s cattle population is located on ranches in the Panhandle. There are millions of cattle out there, with some towns comprising more cattle than people.”
The Texas Farm Bureau has established the Texas Panhandle Wildfire Relief Fund to help farmers and ranchers impacted by the fires.
CNN’s Mary Gilbert, Andy Rose, Eric Zerkel and Steve Almasy contributed to this report.
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