Victim was ‘one of a kind’, sister-in-law says His home, purchased just six months ago, is gone, as are entire neighborhoods he drove past on his way to Amarillo, where his family will stay until they figure out what is next. Probst, the Fritch resident who helped his neighbors then fled, said he returned to his neighborhood Wednesday. In Hutchinson County – where the Smokehouse Creek, Windy Deuce and 687 Reamer fires are burning – at least 20 structures in Stinnett, some outside Borger city and “quite a few structures” in Fritch were destroyed, a county official said Wednesday. Satellite images show homes in Fritch, Texas, before the fire (in August 2023), and after (on Wednesday). “Wind was coming straight out of the north and made just this massive wall of fire moving across the landscape,” Texas A&M Forest Service spokesperson Adam Turner said Wednesday. As of Thursday, it’s still only 3% contained in Texas. The Smokehouse Creek Fire exploded in size after a sudden shift of wind direction Tuesday. Amarillo National Bank is starting a Panhandle Disaster Relief Fund for wildfire victims with a $1 million donation, according to a release from the financial institution.Water bottles are being given away at several churches and other locations, officials said. The city of Fritch, Texas, is under a boil water notice but that is “hard to do since many residents are without electricity and or gas,” Hutchinson County announced.Two firefighters for the Texas Panhandle city of Pampa, in Gray County, were treated for minor injuries sustained battling the blazes Monday night, Pampa Community Services Director Dustin Miller told CNN on Thursday.“As we keep a close eye on wildfires across the state, the safety of our fellow Oklahomans is the top priority,” he posted on X. Kevin Stitt has activated emergency response teams. At least 13 homes have been destroyed in Oklahoma, a state emergency spokesperson told CNN.The Smokehouse Creek Fire has covered around 98% of 5,394 acres of the Gene Howe Wildlife Management Area, which is located along the Canadian River in the Northern Rolling Plains of Hemphill County, according to a news release from Texas Parks & Wildlife.“The loss of livestock, crops and wildlife, … as well as other ranches and homes across the region is, we believe, unparalleled in our history,” the Turkey Track Ranch Family Group said in a statement.
The Turkey Track Ranch, nicknamed the Prize of the Panhandle, is also the site of Battles of Adobe Walls of 18. A ranch with a 120-year history says about 80% of its nearly 80,000 acres have burned.Greg Abbott authorized additional state resources to fight the blazes, including 94 fire fighting personnel, 33 fire engines and six air tankers. President Joe Biden committed to helping those affected by the wildfires Thursday, while also using his remarks to call out his “Neanderthal friends” who don’t believe in climate change.Related video Why climate change makes wildfires worse The 687 Reamer Fire burned more than 2,000 acres before merging into the Smokehouse Creek Fire Thursday.The Magenta Fire is also still burning and has seared 2,500 acres and is 65% contained.The Grape Vine Creek Fire has charred 30,000 acres and is 60% contained.The portion of the Smokehouse Creek Fire that jumped into Oklahoma is now 40% contained there, Oklahoma Forestry Services spokesperson Keith Merckx told CNN on Thursday evening.In addition to the mammoth Smokehouse Creek Fire, the Windy Deuce Fire in Texas has torched 142,000 acres and was 50% contained as of early Thursday afternoon.More than 85% of cattle in Texas are raised in the Panhandle, according to agricultural officials.