Texas Panhandle wildfires rage as firefighters battle deadly wind-driven blazes

The fire became the largest wildfire in Texas history, and the human toll was severe. At least two people were killed, with later reports putting the death toll at three. Hundreds of homes and other structures were destroyed, and state and later investigative reports estimated that more than 15,000 cattle died, a crushing blow to ranching communities that depend on livestock, fencing, wells and working power lines to stay afloat.

Investigators later said the fire was sparked by power lines from a decayed, broken utility pole, a finding that sharpened concerns about aging infrastructure in one of the state’s most exposed rural regions. The Texas House Investigative Committee said the fires scorched more than 1 million acres and damaged key systems including water wells and utility lines, deepening the losses for families already fighting to keep operations running in the Panhandle’s hard-hit counties.

The danger did not stop at the fire line. As the blaze moved north and northeast, Armstrong County officials reported no immediate evacuations, even as the National Weather Service in Amarillo warned that conditions were ripe for “extremely critical” wildfire activity across parts of New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. On Friday, forecasters also said smoke from the wildfire created its own thunderstorm with 1-inch hail, a sign of how violently the fire interacted with the atmosphere around it.