FRITCH, Texas – The largest wildfire ever to burn in the State of Texas continues its path of destruction across the Texas Panhandle.
The Smokehouse Creek Fire is one of four wildfires that have consumed a collective 1,249,500 acres of land.
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Update: the #SmokehouseCreekFire in Hutchinson County is an estimated 1,075,000 acres and 5% contained. Most of the fire received some precipitation yesterday and there was no fire growth. Crews will focus on the northern edge of the fire and areas around structures. #txfire pic.twitter.com/JLqWbpBLjN
— Incident Information - Texas A&M Forest Service (@AllHazardsTFS) March 1, 2024
Rain, snow and frigid temperatures on Thursday helped firefighters play catch up against the fire that’s been nearly unstoppable up until this point.
“The precipitation is helping us out. It’s keeping that fire at bay,” said Houston Fire Department Captain Beau Moreno. “A lot of the time, the heat is so intense that you can’t get close enough to even put some water on it. The snow is actually helping us. I didn’t expect to come from Houston, Texas and fight fire in the snow.”
As of Friday morning, the Smokehouse Creek Fire remains just 5% contained.
Now, all eyes are on the weather - which could make or break firefighter’s efforts to contain the fire.
Forecasts call for highs in the 70s, which will only dry up the land that just received much-needed precipitation.
On top of that, wind will increase and relative humidity values will drop. Both are bad news for firefighters, who traveled from across the state, to try and help save these communities.
“Right now, we need to make sure that the fire is completely out,” Cpt. Moreno told KPRC2 on Thursday. “It’s a bad situation, and we don’t want to make the situation worse by not hitting these spots right here that you see still burning.”
The Texas A&M Forest Service is predicting a high wildfire danger on Friday. That risk increases to very high for the entire Texas Panhandle on Saturday and Sunday.
The National Weather Service in Amarillo predicts critical fire weather to return this weekend, creating a prime condition for wildfires to flourish.
Critical fire weather conditions are expected to return midday Saturday and once again after sunrise Sunday. Please refrain entirely from outdoor activities that generate sparks or flames. pic.twitter.com/AfJLO3l2wp
— NWS Amarillo (@NWSAmarillo) March 1, 2024
A Fire Weather Watch has been issued beginning 12 p.m. on Saturday and running through midnight on Monday. The National Weather Service says a Red Flag Threat will be present throughout the weekend as well.
