A Texas panhandle fire has consumed nearly 900,000 acres, prompting widespread evacuations, road closures and emergency declarations.
The largest fire burning is the Smokehouse Creek Fire north of Stinnett, with only 3% containment.
The Smokehouse Creek fire is one of five large wildfires currently burning in the Texas Panhandle.
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According to the Texas A&M Forest Service, dry conditions and above-normal temperatures caused an increased risk of wildfire.
Authorities said that gusty winds between 40 and 50 mph pushed the fire north of Pampa, Texas.
On Tuesday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for 60 Texas counties because of the rapidly spreading wildfires in the Lone Star State.
“I issued a disaster declaration today to ensure critical fire response resources are swiftly deployed to areas in the Texas Panhandle being impacted by devastating wildfires,” said Governor Abbott. “The State of Texas stands ready to provide support to our local partners and deploy all resources needed to protect our fellow Texans and their property.
People who once lived in the area described their harrowing escape.
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“We went through, I bet, 30 miles of what I can only describe as a lunar landscape, just absolute barren desert,” Greg Downey told FOX 4.
The largest fire in Texas history was the East Amarillo Complex fire of 2006, which burned 907,245 acres, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.
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