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Wildfires in Texas Panhandle: Maps, air quality and other resources
A disaster declaration was issued for 60 counties after a series of wildfires burned in The Panhandle. Here are links to different maps so you can track them.
Chloe Alexander, Jaime E. Galvan, Associated Press
9:18 AM CST February 28, 2024
9:18 AM CST February 28, 2024
TEXAS, USA — A series of wildfires swept across the Texas Panhandle early Wednesday, prompting evacuations, cutting off power to thousands, and forcing the brief shutdown of a nuclear weapons facility as strong winds, dry grass, and unseasonably warm temperatures fed the blazes.
Gov. Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for 60 counties as the main blaze, the Smokehouse Creek Fire, swelled into the second-largest wildfire in the state’s history.
Below are links showing maps to which you can track the progress of the wildfires and the communities they threaten.
Maps of wildfires across Texas
The Smokehouse Creek Fire in Hutchinson County burned nearly 800 square miles, according to an update early Wednesday from the Texas A&M Forest Service. That is five times the size it was on Monday when it sparked.
As the fires raged Tuesday, evacuations were ordered in several towns in a swath northeast of Amarillo, and officials across the border in the area of Durham, Oklahoma, also encouraged people to flee.
Maps of wildfires across Texas:
Links from Texas A&M:
Air quality across Texas
As wildfires burn in the Texas Panhandle, officials are monitoring the air quality as smoke moves across the state.
Texas air quality forecast
The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality produces air quality forecasts for the state.
You can check the air quality where you live here or in metro areas below:
Interactive map of air quality
Monitor the air quality using the interactive map below: