(NewsNation) — At least 60 counties have been put under disaster declarations and hundreds of people were forced to evacuate as wildfires burn through more than half a million acres of land across the Texas Panhandle.
Officials said the main blaze, called the Smokehouse Creek Fire in Hutchinson County, is the second-largest wildfire in Texas’ history. On Wednesday morning, the Texas A&M Forest Service said the Smokehouse Creek Fire had burned nearly 800 square miles — five times the size it was on Monday when it started. It crept into parts of neighboring Oklahoma, and officials in the area of Durham encouraged people to flee.
Erin O’Connor, a public information officer for the Texas A&M Forest Service, told NewsNation that as of Wednesday morning, there have been no reported injuries or fatalities. What caused the fires that led to huge plumes of smoke billowing hundreds of feet in the air is under investigation at this time. However, strong winds, dry grass and unseasonably warm temperatures did not help the situation.
An unknown number of homes and other structures in the counties were destroyed, local emergency officials said, and authorities warned of extensive damage to communities on the high plains.
More than 11,600 people were without power in Texas as of Wednesday afternoon.
Fires prompted the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Production Office at Pantex, which disassembles America’s nuclear arsenal, to pause operations Tuesday night. Pantex tweeted that it would be open for normal day shift operations Wednesday, though.
“With the amount of acres that we currently have burning, it’s impacting everybody from the city to the suburban, the rural, agricultural,” O’Connor said Wednesday on “Morning in America.”
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller also said the fires could have a “significant impact” on the agriculture industry.
“We stand in solidarity with our farmers and ranchers facing loss and destruction,” Miller said in a statement Tuesday. “Our thoughts are with them during this challenging time, and we’re committed to supporting their recovery efforts every step of the way.”
Because of the magnitude of the wildfires, O’Connor said, it’s going to take days, or “probably longer” to fully contain them, especially as dry and windy weather conditions are expected this weekend.
“They’ll certainly work diligently to try to get a handle on them today, but we do not anticipate that these will be fully contained anytime soon,” O’Connor said of the many local, state and federal firefighters who are working to suppress the flames.
John Russell of the Amarillo Fire Department said in his area, most fires are contained at less than 50%.
“Crews have been out there all night,” he said. “They’re still working on it and they’re putting up the best fight they can.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
This story is developing. Refresh for updates.