A rapidly spreading Texas wildfire has killed one person, forced residents to evacuate, cut off power to homes and businesses, and briefly paused operations at a nuclear weapons facility.
Known to be the second-largest fire in Texas history, it has burned 850,000 acres of land north of the city of Amarillo.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for 60 counties. Dry grass, high temperatures and strong winds have fueled the conflagration.
In Hutchinson County, one of the hardest-hit areas, public engagement coordinator, Deidra Thomas told press men that one person had died in the blazes, although she did not name the victim.
The Texas A&M Forest Service said that the winds had diminished slightly, helping to moderate the fire’s spread. It remained 3% contained as of Wednesday afternoon, however.
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Rain was expected in the state’s northern panhandle on Thursday, which may aid efforts to extinguish the blaze.
In the meantime, hundreds of firefighters and first responders have been deployed to the fire, Seth Christensen, the spokesman for Texas Division of Emergency Management, said.
The Smokehouse Creek Fire, as it has been named, has already razed half a million acres. It remains behind the East Amarillo Complex fire, which burned over 900,000 acres in 2006.
