'We're able to represent our community': Boerne firefighters share their role in fighting historic Texas wildfires

SAN ANTONIO — A wildfire growing in the Texas Panhandle is now the largest in state history.

At least two people have died in the raging inferno. Its path of destruction is now larger than the size of Rhode Island.

The Smokehouse Creek Fire alone has torched more than 1 million acres. As of Thursday evening, the fire is only 3% contained.

Other fires blazing at the same time have crossed into western Oklahoma.

On the frontlines are firefighters from the San Antonio area. The San Antonio Fire Department deployed six firefighters on the ground and two on standby and the New Braunfels Fire Department’s Wildfire Team is working alongside them.

KENS 5 gained new insight from a Boerne crew on the ground in the Panhandle.

“Quite a bit of snow and sleet was what our main visual was today,” said Walter Ball, Assistant Chief of the Boerne Fire Department.

Thursday was a battle against fire and ice in north Texas.

Firefighters made little headway corralling the fast-moving wildfire until Thursday, when snow, rain, and 40-degree temperatures opened a window for progress.

Tuesday, two Boerne firefighters deployed to the Amarillo area.

Their assistant fire chief was close behind. Ball arrived at 7:30 a.m. Thursday morning, and is stationed 30 miles away from his coworkers in Pampa, TX.

“I’m part of the Emergency Medical Task Force.” said Ball. “We’re kind of on the outer edges.”

Ball is leading a team that’s sole focus is taking care of fire crews.

“Our tasking is to provide medical support for the firefighters that are on the front lines,” he explained. “We have a team with an ambulance, paramedics who drive a UTV. We’re able to take that all-terrain vehicle and go out into the front lines to be able to assess any of the firefighters who may need assistance.”

The rapid change in temperature’s effect on fire crews was the focus for medics Thursday. Ball says all their team’s ambulances were ready with heaters, and local fire stations were prepared to serve as a warming center for first responders.

While the dusting of snow gave fire crews some help, higher temperatures are back in the forecast this weekend.

Chief Ball says he’s prepared to stay in the Panhandle as long as three weeks.

“The Boerne crews here, they were texting earlier saying, ‘Hey, this is awesome that we’re able to represent our families and our community up serving other Texans,” said Ball. “We’re very blessed that we can provide this medical element for them.”

In response to the historic wildfires, Governor Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for 60 counties.

In President Biden’s speech Thursday on the Texas-Mexico border, he began by talking about the devastating wildfires.

“We already have more than 500 federal personnel here working on fire suppression,” Biden explained. “That includes the deployment of 100 federal firefighters and more on the way, as well as dozens of additional fire engines, air tankers, small planes, and helicopters to help fight the flames.”

Biden says FEMA has guaranteed that Texas and Oklahoma will be reimbursed for the cost of keeping people safe.

With critical fire conditions possible again this weekend, emergency workers say this battle is far from over.