New Texas Panhandle wildfire pops up as blazes continue

Firefighters are working to contain the Smokehouse Creek and Windy Deuce fires, which are the biggest fires threatening the Texas Panhandle. They are 15% and 60% contained, respectively. However, officials say the public can misunderstand what fire “containment” means.

Meghan Mahurin, public information officer for the Texas A&M Forest Service, said containment does not equal how much of the fire is out. Instead, containment represents how much of a perimeter firefighters have secured around the fire, which would ideally stop it from spreading.

Officials are advising residents and motorists traveling through the Texas Panhandle to be cautious, as the smallest action could potentially aggravate the fire weather conditions this weekend.

“A lot of our fires start from the roadside,” Mahurin said. “Dragging chains, throwing cigarettes, and pulling trucks off into a bar ditch where a hot exhaust can hit tall grass can cause one.”

This past week’s snow and moisture did help, Mahurin said, but firefighters are monitoring the area for hot spots that could spark again when winds pick up.

Juan Rodriguez, the Texas A&M Forest Service’s incident commander for the Smokehouse Creek fire, said they do use air support to release water or flame retardant chemicals on fires from above. However, air support can be dangerous if the winds are too strong.

“It makes it extremely dangerous to fly for the pilots,” Rodriguez said. “Along with that, if the wind is blowing as extreme as it was, it will pick up all the water or retardant and float it through the air.”

On Saturday, the Forest Service deployed multi-engine airtankers called “super scoopers” to the Windy Deuce fire, which spans Moore, Potter and Carson counties. The service shared a video showing the aircrafts gliding on Lake Meredith to fill up the tanks. According to the U.S. Forest Service, these super scoopers can hold up to 1,600 gallons of water and take seconds to fill.

During a press conference Friday, Gov. Greg Abbott said state officials are working on a way to bring in stronger air resources that can withstand windy conditions in the Panhandle.

— Jayme Lozano Carver