FRITCH, Texas (NewsNation) — The largest wildfire in Texas history has killed two people and left behind a desolate landscape of scorched prairie, dead cattle and burned-out homes in the Texas Panhandle.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said at a news conference Friday afternoon that premature assessments show that about 400 to 500 structures have been destroyed, although that isn’t necessarily the final number.
In the morning, officials announced the Smokehouse Creek Fire in Stinnett is now 15% contained, up from 3% Thursday. It’s scorched more than a million acres, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service. The second largest fire, known as the “Windy Deuce,” has consumed over 140,000 acres and is 55% contained.
While there has been much damage, Abbott said “it would have been far worse and far more damaging, not just to property but to people, but for those firefighters.”
Cindy Owen was driving in Texas’ Hemphill County south of the town of Canadian on Tuesday afternoon when she encountered fire or smoke, said Sgt. Chris Ray of the Texas Department of Public Safety. She got out of her truck and became trapped by flames.
A passerby found Owen and called first responders, who took her to a burn unit in Oklahoma. She died Thursday morning, Ray said.
The other victim, an 83-year-old woman, was identified by family members as Joyce Blankenship, a former substitute teacher. Her grandson, Lee Quesada, said deputies told his uncle Wednesday they had found Blankenship’s remains in her burned home.
NewsNation witnessed fire crews tending to hot spots to reduce the risk of embers igniting further. Thursday’s forecast, which included snow, rain, and sleet for several hours, helped minimize smoke and flames.
Stinnett’s destruction was a reminder that even as snow fell Thursday and helped firefighters, crews are racing to stamp out the blaze ahead of increased temperatures and winds forecast in the coming days.
Forestry officials remain uncertain about the possibility of the fires, particularly the Smokehouse Creek Fire, reigniting and breaching containment lines.
NewsNation spoke to Sandye Killebrew, who lost much of her ranch in the fires earlier this week. She said beyond the emotional toll on pride and property, many in the community are still searching for missing horses and cattle.
“Well, we’ll just count on one another. Someone will put food on your porch, somebody will take you where you need to go. We can go to a church and get a shower if we need it. We just believe God will take care of us,” Killebrew said.
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller estimated the cattle deaths would be in the thousands, with more likely to come.
“There’ll be cattle that we’ll have to euthanize,” Miller said. “They’ll have burned hooves, burned udders.”
Authorities have not said what ignited the fires, but strong winds, dry grass and unseasonably warm temperatures fed them.
Conditions are expected to worsen through the weekend in parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and New Mexico, according to the National Weather Service. Strong winds, relatively low humidity and dry conditions are creating conditions that the weather service warned could cause “a significant threat for the rapid spread of wildfires.”
“Everybody needs to understand that we face enormous potential fire dangers as we head into this weekend,” Abbott warned. “No one can let down their guard. Everyone must remain very vigilant.”
Authorities said 1,640 square miles of the fire were on the Texas side of the border with Oklahoma. Previously, the largest fire in recorded state history was the 2006 East Amarillo Complex fire, which burned about 1,400 square miles and resulted in 13 deaths.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.