Wildfires in Texas, including the second-largest on record, are raging over the Panhandle territory.

Wildfires in Texas, including the second-largest on record, are raging over the Panhandle territory

Wildfires in Texas, including the second-largest on record, are raging over the Panhandle territory

 

Cattle gather in a field as smoke billows near an area burned by the Smokehouse Creek Fire, Wednesday, on February 28, in Canadian, Texas.

Courtesy Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies

On February 28th, Canadian, Texas On Wednesday, Richard Murray fought back tears as he inspected the burned ruins of his mechanic’s business and house of fifty years in the little town of Canadian, which is located in the Texas Panhandle.

The previous evening, a sheriff’s officer had hammered on the door and ordered Murray and his wife Gilissa to flee their home as the blaze that was the second-largest wildfire in the state’s ever-recorded history approached their residence.

“The house is gone and all of the cars are melted,” Murray, who is 72 years old, stated shortly after he arrived home during the early morning hours of Wednesday. “There’s nothing left.”

According to the Texas A&M Forest Service, the wildfire that has been raging northeast of Amarillo since Monday has destroyed 850,000 acres (344,000 hectares) of grasslands and wood since Monday. Additionally, the fire has expanded eastward across the border of Oklahoma.