NORTH TEXAS – Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration Tuesday due to widespread wildfire activity amid hot and dry conditions.
Dry vegetation and wind were fueling the rapid growth of wildfires. Abbott’s declaration includes 60 counties.
Several large wildfires ignited Monday under warm, dry, and windy conditions across the Texas Panhandle. Canadian, a town in the Panhandle, was first told to evacuate and then to shelter in place. The Canadian Independent School District canceled classes for Wednesday.
Evacuations are underway in Fritch, just one of four wildfires burning in the Panhandle. The Texas A&M Forest Service says the wind-driven deuce fire is only 20% contained. More than 8,000 acres have burned.
The largest fire currently burning is the Smokehouse Creek fire in Hutchinson County, northeast of Amarillo. It is an estimated 250,000 acres and 0% contained.
Texas A&M Forest Service
Pantex, the main facility that assembles and disassembles America’s nuclear arsenal, shut down its operations Tuesday night because of wildfires burning near its facility, according to the Associated Press. Pantex is located 30 miles east of Amarillo, per the AP.
“Operations at the Pantex Plant have paused until further notice,” the company wrote in a social media post. “All weapons and special materials are safe and unaffected.”
Pantex later clarified that “there is currently no fire on the plant site and emergency personnel continue to monitor the situation.”
Pantex said all employees had been accounted for and “non-essential personnel are no longer on site.”
Since 1975, Pantex has been the U.S. main assembly and disassembly site for its atomic bombs, the AP reports, and it assembled its last weapon in 1991.
The Grape Vine Creek Fire in Gray County is an estimated 30,000 acres and 20% contained.
“As Agriculture Commissioner, I am deeply concerned about the devastating wildfires raging through the Texas Panhandle,” Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller said via social media. “Our thoughts are with them during this challenging time, and we’re committed to supporting their recovery efforts every step of the way.”
An elevated grass fire threat is posted for areas along and west of I-35 Tuesday afternoon due to the warm temperatures and gusty winds. Outdoor burning is not recommended.
CBS News Texas
The Texas A&M Forest Service is bracing for more wildfire activity in the coming weeks.
The Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association launched a fundraising campaign to aid victims of the wildfires.
“A fire is one of the most tragic events that can impact ranches, and a natural disaster such as the widespread wildfires in Texas and Oklahoma can result in financial hardships and deep impacts to our ranching communities,” said TSCRA President Arthur Uhl.
