Firefighters battling ‘monster’ Texas wildfire contend with strong winds and heat as residents grapple with lost homes - CNN

Texas wildfires: Firefighters battling ‘monster’ blaze contend with winds and heat as residents grapple with lost homes | CNN

The biggest inferno in Texas history is being fueled by winds and high temperatures as it rages Sunday, threatening to incinerate more buildings, cattle and livelihoods across the Texas Panhandle while residents sift through ashes of what used to be homes.

Critical fire weather conditions were expected to continue Sunday in the area, with strengthening winds gusting to 50 mph and dry conditions combining to set the stage for rapid wildfire spread, the National Weather Service warned.

The Smokehouse Creek Fire has been burning for nearly a week and has torched more than 1 million acres in Texas alone, making it the largest fire on record in the state – and it is only 15% contained. The fire, which is just one of five blazes scorching the Texas Panhandle, has already killed two people and destroyed over 500 structures, state officials said Saturday. Others have been left without electricity as more than 120 miles of electric lines have been destroyed.

Fire activity on the Smokehouse, Windy Deuce and Grapevine Creek fires picked up Saturday, due to weather conditions, Blue Team Operations Section Chief Mike Brod said in a video update posted to Facebook Sunday morning.

Because the Texas Panhandle had higher-than-average rainfall this winter, there is more grass – fuel – to burn. Crews hope that, after the weekend, they will inch closer to containment, Texas A&M Forest Service spokesman Jason Nedlo said.

High temperatures into the upper 70s are forecast in the area through Sunday, with a slight decrease Monday into the upper 60s, keeping temperatures well above average.

Latest developments

• Officials work to identify hotspots: Fire officials used aviation assets to respond to flare-ups over the weekend, including a heat-detection flight to help pinpoint additional hotspots, Brod said.

• Four more fires burning: The Windy Deuce Fire in Moore County has burned through 142,000 acres and is 60% contained as of Sunday morning, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service. The Grape Vine Creek Fire in Gray County has spread through 30,000 acres and is 60% contained. The Magenta Fire in Oldham County has destroyed 3,297 acres and is 85% contained. And the 687 Reamer fire in Hutchinson County has scorched 2,000 acres and is 10% contained.

• Two deaths reported: Truck driver Cindy Owen was working about 50 miles north of Pampa, Texas, on Tuesday when she got caught in the Smokehouse Creek Fire, her sister-in-law told CNN. She left her truck and tried running for safety but died in the blaze, according to Jennifer Mitchell, the wife of Owen’s brother. In nearby Hutchinson County, 83-year-old Joyce Blankenship was killed, her family said. “The house was gone,” her grandson Nathan Blankenship said. “There was no way she could’ve gotten out.”

• Blaze hits state cattle industry: The fires are tearing through the Panhandle, which is home to 85% of the state’s cattle industry. The blaze has already killed thousands of cattle and has taken out other livestock, crops and equipment.

• How you can help: GoFundMe launched a platform for verified fundraisers benefiting people affected by wildfires in Texas. On the website, money is being collected for Texans who have lost homes, belongings and livestock. Hemphill County, where 400,000 acres have been burned and a truck driver was killed, is accepting wildlife relief supplies as well as monetary donations, according to the county’s AgriLife Extension Facebook page. In the city of Fritch, CCS Connect Community Services is accepting monetary donations for residents.

Family sifts through ashes of lost home

All that was left of Susan and Ronnie Johnson’s five-bedroom ranch near Fritch was the ashes of what was their home of two decades. A dining table, pieces of white fine china, blue and red Dutch ovens, chairs and a smoker could be seen amidst a devastated background of dust, rubble and fallen trees.

Their home was surrounded by fire on Tuesday - and they tried desperately to save it - only to watch it all go up in flames.

“You don’t ever want to believe it’ll be your house that burns,” Ronnie told CNN.

“We’ve seen others so we’ll rebuild and start again.”

Susan described losing her home as “numbing,” but said it won’t mean losing her memories of where her family of nine lived.

Tyler McCain also lost his family home in the fires that roared through Fritch.

When McCain saw flames engulf the field across from his family’s home before they evacuated, he was faced with the anticipation of returning, not knowing if their house was still standing.

“Until I saw my house, it wasn’t it wasn’t real,” McCain told CNN’s Danny Freeman.

Gov. Greg Abbott described widespread devastation during a news conference on Friday.

“Frequently, when you see the aftermath of that damage, there is some semblance of a structure that is still there,” Abbott said. “When you look at the damages that are here, it’s just gone. Completely gone. Nothing left but ashes on the ground, so those who have gone through this have gone through utter devastation.”

‘Devastating’ losses for farmers

State Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller on Saturday asked for hay and feed donations and prayers for residents who have lost homes and livestock in the “monster” fire, saying he expects the death toll for livestock to soar.

“It’s been very devastating,” Miller told CNN’s Omar Jimenez on Saturday.

“There’s no grass, there’s no water for all the livestock,” Miller added. “We’ve lost over 3,000 head, which is a very small number – that will double or triple easily. We’ve got cattle that we’re going to have euthanized because of the damage to their hooves, their udders - we’ll just have to put them down.”

Miller said seven grain and seed dealers in the state have “completely lost everything, completely wiped out.”

“It’s great damage here,” he said.

Hemphill County had reported over a thousand missing or dead cattle and several dead horses, goats, and sheep, Miller said in a news release on Friday, adding that numbers in Hemphill County and other impacted areas are expected to rise as the fire subsides and assessment can be conducted.

CNN’s Rebekah Riess and Jamiel Lynch contributed to this report.