Over 850,000 acres have gone up in flames in the Smokehouse Creek Wildfire.
To give some perspective, that’s twice the size of Houston.
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And the fire’s not letting up, but local support is rolling in. KPRC 2′s T.J. Parker was at Fire Station 28 in southwest Houston Thursday morning.
The Texas A&M Forest Service reports that they have only contained about 3% of the blaze and that there is still a long road ahead.
Now, reinforcement is pouring in from all corners of the state, including in Houston as nine fire departments from the area, including HFD, are lending a hand.
Adam Turner from the Texas A&M Forest Service said that these fires sprawl across massive landscapes, and small towns surrounded by endless grasslands.
The crew at Hemphill Volunteer Fire are doing what they can to protect homes amidst the chaos.
This isn’t the only fire wreaking havoc in the region. We’ve counted at least five since Monday afternoon.
According to the National Weather Service, these infernos thrive on dry conditions, parched vegetation, and gusts blowing in from the southwest or west.
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And the toll is heart-wrenching, with many families already displaced.
Danny Williams, a resident from Fritch, Texas, sums up the anguish of feeling powerless amidst evacuation orders.
Sadly, some have already seen their homes go up in flames.
“You feel like you’re completely out of control, I mean, being evacuated. And then everything is out there, at the mercy, at the hand of God.”
Looking back, the state has faced larger wildfires in the past. The East Amarillo Complex in 2006 scorched over 907,000 acres.
KPRC 2 reporter Gage Goulding and Photojournalist Vlad Moquete are heading to the front lines for updates and will bring them to you live this afternoon.