Wildfire 2024 Thread

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https://tfswildfires.com/public/

https://www.cnn.com/us/live-news/texas-smokehouse-creek-fire-02-27-24/index.html

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The Smokehouse Creek Fire has burned 500,000 acres since igniting Monday afternoon, making it the second-largest wildfire on record in Texas, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.  It remains completely uncontained and is likely to grow further. 

The largest wildfire was the East Amarillo Complex fire in 2006, which consumed more than 900,000 acres, according to Texas A&M.

 

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[NorthLoop 14180]

I had a Windy Deuce this morning, so this hits close to home. 

[Nicole44 22056]

I am so depressed about this. It’s heartbreaking 💔 to see places just destroyed like that and people evacuating. I’m not ashamed of growing up in the Panhandle. For a long time I thought even about moving back. I’d rather live in New Mexico but it’s still heart wrenching nonetheless. 
 

Hoping for a reprieve from Mother Nature 🌬️ 

 

[GreenspointTexas 9598]

So all together, over 500,000 acres have been burned so far? Fuck

[Helobious 9456]

I had no idea there was anything to burn up  in that part of the state. I thought it was all just open fields. 

[Native Horn 3498]

Prayers up for our Panhandle brethren.  Scary and sad.

[Nicole44 22056]

We need pretty much a wall of firefighters. No containment in sight unless Mother Nature helps us out. 

[Nicole44 22056]

 

[Nicole44 22056]

 

[RomaVicta 29893]

Would the Texas Guard concentrated on the Rio Grande normally be used to help with emergencies like this?

I wonder if they'll redeploy.

[Brisketexan 105043]

2 minutes ago, RomaVicta said:

Would the Texas Guard concentrated on the Rio Grande normally be used to help with emergencies like this?

I wonder if they'll redeploy.

Tell the governor what's happening up in the Panhandle is "un fuego de los carteles," and they'll get right on it.

[RomaVicta 29893]

I googled Texas National Guard Duties, and here's what I got:

Deployment on the border:

And, total number:

I don't know what number are deployable for a natural disaster. The fire seems like one.

 

[Gucci_Suit 2642]

My dad told me the air smells like Bbq and is making him hungry. They’re in Amarillo and safe but several family friends in the Borger/ Stinnett area lost everything. Sucks. 

No snow really this year, just wind like always. The summer was crazy wet though. What I remember about growing up in the panhandle is good looking women, panhandle style Mexican food, and wild ass weather. 

[texasdago 7562]

This is such depressing stuff and I do wish there was less "theater" along the border so the Governor would focus on real, tangible and imminent threats.  

[bolverk 29644]

An enormous area has already been affected.

And, yes, @Helobious, those "open fields" of the High Plains primarily comprise brush and grass. When they burn, we call them bushfires and grassfires. But when they get out of control, we usually call them wildfires.

 

[crash_davis 23096]

I guess we can add wildfires to the list of reasons why home insurers are going to leave this state or have $20k premiums for a 2000 sq/ft house.

[bolverk 29644]

Travis County firefighters deploying to assist in panhandle fires

They're joining up with the Killeen Fire Department, Kyle Fire Department/Hays County ESD No. 5, Pflugerville Fire Departments/Travis County ESD #2, Temple Fire and Rescue and Moffett Fire Department to assist.

[Nicole44 22056]

This is the definition of “all hands on deck.” I’m grateful for all those departments sending firefighters. Not enough thanks here. There is no hope of containing this shit without help from Mother Nature. Praying the snow chances will become a reality…soon. 

[GreenspointTexas 9598]

Yup, looking like this will be the largest wildfire in this states history, by far

[bolverk 29644]

Interactive maps for those with friends and family in the Panhandle.

NASA hotspots: https://firms.modaps.eosdis.nasa.gov/usfs/map/#d:24hrs;@-100.6,35.9,8.0z

Fire, smoke, air quality: https://fire.airnow.gov/ 

[jimmyjazz 45877]

1 hour ago, Nicole44 said:

 

[UnivTex34 1763]

 

[Nicole44 22056]

I grew up watching all these channels…in Amarillo. They had a fire near 207 close to Claude near my family’s ranch but that fire was put out fairly quickly. 
 

anyway I grew up watching all these news stations like @Rimbo this is just heartbreaking no? These people affected are mostly farmers and ranchers. 
 

 

[Nicole44 22056]

 

 

[YGIFS 19449]

I get how wildfires work but this one, I guess 'cause we're watching it closer than most, seemed to have come on faster and larger than most in recent memory.  Our local firehouse which is just a couple hundred yards from my home sent a couple of guys to go help out already.  I imagine it's gonna be all hands on deck.  gonna get way worse before it gets better.  All credit to former State Senator from that area Kel Seliger for marshaling resources from the State/Gov/NG to the area, hope he gets what he asks for.  

Fucking fuck, this thing got massive in a big hurry.  It's an empty gesture for us to go up there and stand around and I can't take the time away from work and the kids, but how can help?  After the literal ashes cool, at the Spring Game Taigate, we could have the proceeds/donations go to folks affected by this because I know we've many posters from/living/kin in that area.  And it's getting bigger.  Just one pro tip, let's not call it 'Burnt Ends'

[Post Oak 20204]

So fucking terrifying. 

Hopefully this opens landowners, communities, municipalities and the governments eyes to the importance of prescribed burns.

[CHIEF 5075]

Those cattle weren't fleeing the smoke, they were chasing the feed truck with the blaring siren.

CHIEF

[NorthLoop 14180]

I wouldn't be shocked if a lot more of these broke out all over Texas with this fucking wind. 

[Rimbo 25908]

Maybe they'll wake up and realize climate change is real.

It's not just disasters that are more frequent. It's that they happen in places where they're not happening before.

SoCal gets fires every year. It's actually part of the natural ecosystem; certain plants depend on the fires to spread their seeds. It's still dangerous, but our services are more or less prepared to deal with them.

But when the city had flash floods last month? People died simply because nobody ever thought you shouldn't build homes in the valleys because it never flooded there. And they actually called a Tornado Warning, I shit you not, because they saw winds whirling around on radar at a whopping 35mph. Had no idea what do do with it. Nobody saw a twister, and even if they had, 35 mph isn't even EF0. In Amarillo, that's Tuesday.

Hope they can bring this shit under control.

[Rimbo 25908]

3 hours ago, Helobious said:

I had no idea there was anything to burn up  in that part of the state. I thought it was all just open fields. 

god dammit helo

[Macanudo 12974]

1 hour ago, GreenspointTexas said:

Yup, looking like this will be the largest wildfire in this states history, by far

So far.    

I know quite a few people out in that area.  Most of them are in Amarillo proper but a few are north near Dumas and Borger.   All of them are spooked right now.  

[Rimbo 25908]

Just now, Macanudo said:

So far.    

Sad but true. This is just an appetizer.

[Macanudo 12974]

Imagine if this thing gets around to the south of AMA toward all of those feed lots?   

[Pescado_Rojo 19412]

2 minutes ago, Macanudo said:

Imagine if this thing gets around to the south of AMA toward all of those feed lots?   

[Macanudo 12974]

It would make a Surly tailgate look normal.

[Nicole44 22056]

Hell on earth…damnit…this shit just breaks my heart. If you’ve been around the Panhandle at all most of the people in these towns are fairly poor good folks. Yes there are wealthy ranchers but mainly we are talking about just devastating losses these communities may not recover from. Fuck…

 

[Nicole44 22056]

Glad that little green fucker is still there…

Edited February 28 by Nicole44

[Nicole44 22056]

 

Edited February 28 by Nicole44

[Kennythetiger 9374]

1 hour ago, CHIEF said:

Those cattle weren't fleeing the smoke, they were chasing the feed truck with the blaring siren.

CHIEF

Yep. Cattle aren’t afraid of fire. 

[Nicole44 22056]

Here are the locations, size and containment of the fires as of 12:30 p.m. CT Wednesday:

Smokehouse Creek Fire:Hutchinson County, 500,000 acres, 0% containment

Windy Deuce Fire: Moore County, 90,000 acres, 25% containment

Grape Vine Creek Fire: Gray County, 30,000 acres, 60% containment

687 Reamer Fire: Hutchinson Country, 2,000 acres, 10% containment

Magenta Fire: Oldham County, 2,000 acres, 40% containment

There were three wildfires that were reported to be 100% contained:

North CIG Fire: Moore County, 4,012 acres, as of Feb. 27 at 9:22 p.m. CT

Juliet Pass Fire: Armstrong County, 2,963 acres, as of Feb. 26 at 1:56 p.m. CT

Haulk Hand and Catch Fire:Randall County, 3 acres, as of Feb. 26 at 2:05 p.m. CT

 

Edited February 28 by Nicole44

[Nicole44 22056]

 

[GreenspointTexas 9598]

Smokehouse is still 0% contained?

[Nicole44 22056]

 

[Nicole44 22056]

 

[Leeroy Jenkins 2397]

47 minutes ago, Kennythetiger said:

Yep. Cattle aren’t afraid of fire. 

Yep.  I have had to put one out on a grass fire in a pasture.  I have had to basically push some out of harms way with the pumper of our brush truck before.  They love to roll in freshly burned grass.  

[bullzak 413]

I still have folks up in Pampa and Borger. Made the drive between them too many times to count. I know fire is part of the deal there but they just had a bad one within the last decade. This is so bad. 

Great people up there so hate to see them going through this ordeal. 

[Nicole44 22056]

I don’t know if y’all are the praying sort or do a rain dance or light candles or whatever you do but we need this forecast to happen tomorrow/overnight:

They need this. Badly. It will help the firefighters contain this shit because the wind isn’t going to help out. 

[GreenspointTexas 9598]

900,000 acres now.