2024 - Texas faces the largest fires in its history

The latest report from the Forestry Office shows a total of 509,800 hectares gone up in smoke. The largest outbreak, which started from Smokehouse Creek, is only “5%” contained and now also affects part of Oklahoma, a neighboring state.

Does this dramatic episode portend a devastating summer in Texas? While winter is not over, this state in the south of the United States is facing the most violent fires in its history. Two people died, authorities announced in a new report on Friday March 1. In addition to an 83-year-old grandmother who died in a house fire in the small town of Stinnett, a 44-year-old woman died Thursday after being seriously injured when the truck she was driving was suddenly surrounded by flames at Smokehouse Creek, in the northern tip of the state.

According to the latest report from the Forestry Office, some 509 800 hectares have already gone up in smoke in all the fires. This figure will inevitably increase. According to the latest emergency report, eleven fires have been contained (they are burning, but are no longer progressing), and a dozen have been brought under control. But in the north of the state, five fires remain active. Among them, the one from Smokehouse Creek is the largest. While it has already ravaged around 435 000 hectares, it is only contained 5% and now affects part of neighboring Oklahoma. According to CNN meteorologist Chad Myers, the fire was growing so quickly that it was charring the equivalent of two American football fields per second.

Firefighters fear that the situation will worsen over the weekend, due to expected winds, in a hot and dry climate. Several cities in the United States and Canada experienced record temperatures in February, with some even experiencing summer heat. According to experts, the El Niño phenomenon is to blame, in addition to global warming.