Texas Wildfire Spread Across 1.1 Million Acres, Visible From Space

The largest wildfire in Texas history is a massive blaze that is consuming nearly 1.1 million acres (1,700 square miles) this week throughout the Texas Panhandle and portions of Oklahoma. The Smokehouse Creek Fire is so large that it can be seen from space.

Fire fighters on their duty

Parts of the infrared spectrum that are sensitive to fire activity are visible in this kind of image. The satellite GOES-16, which flies about 22,000 miles (36,000 kilometers) above the surface of the Earth, took a picture of it. Firefighters are working quickly to contain the fire, which started on February 26 in Hutchinson County and spread quickly.

“The reason that this fire got so big so fast is we had a goldilocks collection of circumstances, which is low relative humidity, dry [trees and grass] and high winds,” says Sean Dugan, a Texas A&M Forest Service public information officer.

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Here is the problem coming up

Despite the fact that Thursday’s precipitation helped contain the fire, he claims that it is still only 3% contained. The possibility that windy conditions in the upcoming days could help fuel new fires and spread this and other active fires in the area is a major concern.

Although the precise cause of the Smokehouse Creek Fire is still being investigated, Xcel Energy Inc. stated in a regulatory filing that it has been requested to preserve a fallen utility pole close to the potential ignition site of the fire as evidence.

The destruction

Over a million acres in Texas and an additional 25,000 acres in Oklahoma have been consumed by the fire so far. Local media reports state that in addition to the destruction of an undetermined number of homes, at least one person has died. It’s possible that tens of thousands of cattle perished. The Texas Department of Agriculture estimates that the Texas Panhandle is home to 85% of the state’s cattle population.

With 907,245 acres consumed, the East Amarillo Complex fire in 2006 was the largest fire in Texas history prior to this one.