New Texas fire forces brief evacuation of Sanford as war against wildfires continues
Little change has been seen with the Smokehouse Creek Fire since it broke out last week and is still only 15% contained as of Monday morning. The fire has so far scorched more than 1 million acres in both Texas and Oklahoma, burning more than 500 structures and killing at least two people.
The fight to contain and extinguish several wildfires that broke out in Texas last week continues, and while firefighters have faced some tough conditions over the past several days, there is some relief on the way that could help them gain the upper hand.
The Smokehouse Creek Fire north of Stinnett continues to rage in the region and quickly exploded in size, becoming the largest wildfire in Texas state history in a matter of days.
WATCH: FORT WORTH FIREFIGHTERS DRIVE THROUGH FLAMES TO JOIN BATTLE AGAINST TEXAS WILDFIRE
And while crews continued their desperate attempt to get control of the blaze, the Roughneck Fire in Hutchinson County broke out to the south, forcing the brief evacuation of the town of Sanford on Sunday.
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Little change seen with Smokehouse Creek Fire
The latest information on the Smokehouse Creek Fire in Texas.
(FOX Weather)
Firefighters from across Texas have descended upon the Panhandle to try and get a handle on the deadly Smokehouse Creek Fire.
Little change has been seen with this fire since it broke out, and it is still only 15% contained as of Monday morning. The fire has so far scorched more than 1 million acres in both Texas and Oklahoma, burning more than 500 structures and killing countless livestock.
At least two people have been killed in the fire.
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A firefighter extinguishes hotspots following the Smokehouse Creek Fire in Miami, Texas, US, on Saturday, March 2, 2024. Texas emergency crews are battling the worst wildfire in state history amid forecasts for several more days of dry, windy weather that will make their task more difficult. Photographer: Jordan Vonderhaar/Bloomberg via Getty Images
(Getty Images)
At least two firefighters have also been injured while working to contain the fire, according to Texas Department of Emergency Management Director Nim Kidd.
The fire’s spread was slowed last week after a coating of snow blanketed the Amarillo area, allowing containment levels to go from 3% to 15%. However, warm and dry air returned to the region over the weekend.
HOW BIG IS A 1-MILLION-ACRE WILDFIRE? SMOKEHOUSE CREEK FIRE COULD STRETCH FROM NEW YORK TO PHILADELPHIA
Sanford evacuated after development of Roughneck Fire
Watch: Video shows progression of Roughneck Fire in Texas on Sunday
A new wildfire broke out in Texas on Sunday, forcing the evacuation of the town of Sanford. Video shared by The Eagle Press shows the progression of the Roughneck Fire on Sunday.
A new fire broke out south of the town of Sanford in Hutchinson County on Sunday, which forced officials to briefly evacuate the town as work began to contain that blaze.
Officials said crews from the ground and the air responded to requests for help, and they immediately got to work to stop its spread.
The fire quickly began to grow in size, but the work of firefighters paid off as containment levels rose to 15% a few hours after the Roughneck Fire began and then reached 25% on Sunday night.
As of Monday morning, the fire remained at 25% containment and was estimated to be about 300 acres.
The evacuation order for Sanford was lifted Sunday night, and firefighters continued to improve and widen the line around the blaze.
Its forward progression has since stopped.
Critical fire threat ends Monday
This graphic shows the fire weather outlook on Monday, March 4, 2024.
(FOX Weather)
The start of the new workweek brought some good news for the hundreds of people waging war against the wildfires as conditions have started to improve and the critical wildfire threat has eased.
However, an elevated fire risk remains across West Texas from the Amarillo area southward through Lubbock, Midland, Pecos, Fort Stockton and Van Horn.
Drone video shows damage caused by Texas Panhandle wildfire
Aerial video shows the destruction caused by a wildfire in the town of Fritch, Texas.
The elevated risk also extends into portions of eastern New Mexico, including the cities of Santa Rosa and Carlsbad.
Temperatures are forecast to rise into the mid-70s, down a bit from the 80s last week.
Relative humidity levels should also remain between 15% and 25%, with wind gusts up to 35 mph possible.
This graphic shows possible rain and snow in the Texas Panhandle at the end of the week.
(FOX Weather)
Later this week, a storm system that will move out of the Rockies could intensify over the southern Plains, allowing for moisture to be pulled north into the fire-ravaged region.
Rain could then break out behind that system as it strengthens.
The FOX Forecast Center said the precipitation that could fall will be a welcome relief for those trying to extinguish the fires.
Other fires burn in Texas Panhandle
The latest information on major wildfires burning across the Texas Panhandle.
(FOX Weather)
Several other fires continue to burn across the Texas Panhandle.
As of Monday, the Grape Vine Creek Fire is still at 60% containment and has burned 34,882 acres.
The Magenta Fire is 85% contained and has burned just under 3,300 acres.
Watch: Texas firefighters drive through burning embers and blackout smoke
The Fort Worth Fire Department was deployed to the Smokehouse Creek Fire, second-largest in the history of the state. This crew had to drive through burning embers and blackout smoke to get past a point where the fire was trying to jump the highway.
And the Windy Deuce Fire, which has burned 144,206 acres, is 55% contained.
There was another fire called the 687 Reamer Fire, which was absorbed by the Smokehouse Creek Fire last week.
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