The rapidly widening wildfire in Texas doubled in size on Tuesday leading authorities to give prompt evacuation orders in at least one small town as strong winds, dry grass and unseasonably warm highs fueled the blaze in the state’s rural areas.
Texas governor Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for 60 counties as a large fire burned more than 780 square kilometres, growing more than twice its size since the fire sparked Monday. The Texas A&M Forest Service did not say what led to the blaze which tore through these sparsely populated counties, which fall under the Texas Panhandle region.
The northernmost area of Texas is called the Panhandle. The area is straight and narrow like the handle of a pan with the broader area of the state below it, like the bottom of a pan, as per the Texas Parks and Wildlife website.
“Texans are urged to limit activities that could create sparks and take precautions to keep their loved ones safe,” Abbott said.
The largest blaze, known as the Smokehouse Creek Fire, closed highways and remained 0% contained as of Tuesday afternoon, according to the Forest Service.
Multiple fires were reported across Hemphill and Hutchinson counties, near the Oklahoma border. Texas state Sen. Kevin Sparks said an evacuation order was issued for the town of Canadian, a town of about 2,000 about 100 miles (160 kilometers) northeast of Amarillo, and other areas.
The National Weather Service has issued red flag warnings and fire danger alerts for several other states through the midsection of the country, as high winds of over 40 mph (64 kph) combined with warm temperatures, low humidity and dry winter vegetation to make conditions ripe for wildfires.
In central Nebraska, a mower sparked a prairie fire that has burned a huge swath of grassland roughly the size of the state’s largest city of Omaha, state officials said Tuesday.
(with inputs from the Associated Press)
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