STINNETT (WBAP/KLIF News ) – What is now the largest wildfire in Texas history has scorched over 1 million acres in the Texas panhandle since it began Monday and claimed the life of at least one victim.
The family of 83-year-old Joyce Blankenship said she died at her house in Stinnett.
The Smokehouse Creek fire has destroyed homes, ranch lands, killed livestock and forced evacuations for a time as it burns near Amarillo.
The blaze jumped into parts of Oklahoma.
Fire crews from around the state, including here in North Texas, have been on the ground trying to contain it.
The Texas A & M Forest Service said it’s about three percent contained and is being fueled by the elements.
“Really high winds combined with low humidity has lead to fires pushing across this land so very quickly,” said the Service’s Adam Turner.
Despite the dismal outlook, the Service’s Sean Dugan said headway is being made in some areas.
“On Wednesday, most everything opened up. Evacuations were lifted. We did close a couple of roads due to smoke…that was short lived. Everything should be up and running,” he said.
There are at least four other fires burning across that region.
Meanwhile, the Dallas-based humanitarian group Texas Baptist Men has boots on the ground to assist wildfire victims.
The group’s David Wells said they’ve been assessing damage and determining the scope of the the relief effort they can provide.
“Complete devastation in the homes that have been hit. Probably 100 homes have been completely wiped out. So the needs of the will be more clear later in regards to the impact on their lots…getting rid of the ash and everything off of the slabs that they might have,” he said.
The response will reach up to 100 volunteers by next Monday, mainly staffed by crews from Amarillo and Lubbock, with a North Texas crew on standby.
The Texas Division of Emergency Management is urging victims to report property damage using the iSTAT survey.
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