United States: in Texas, fires out of control kill one person
Fires raging in North Texas have killed at least one person, as firefighters struggle to control one of the largest blazes in the US state's history, local media report.
A road enveloped in flames, not far from Amarillo (Texas), February 28, 2024. Image provided by the Greenville firefighters.
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In the small town of Stinnett, an 83-year-old grandmother died in the fire affecting North Texas, a Hutchinson County official told local media on the evening of Wednesday, February 28, adding that at least twenty buildings had been destroyed there.
The Smokehouse Creek fire, an area known for its meadows, was only 3% contained.
The huge blaze, which spread following strong winds and unseasonably hot temperatures, has already burned 344,000 hectares.
Two football fields per second
About 100 kilometers to the east, in the town of Canadian, which has some 2,300 inhabitants, "
several houses burned
," Mayor Terrill Bartlett told CNN, but "
fortunately, no one was seriously injured
".
According to CNN meteorologist Chad Myers, the fire is moving at a speed of two football fields per second.
In total, the state's five ongoing fires, including Smokehouse Creek, have burned more than 404,000 acres.
By Wednesday evening, 18 other fires had been contained.
The National Weather Service in Amarillo, the region's largest city, said Wednesday that cool temperatures "
accompanied by light winds
" were expected, which should help firefighters battle blazes, authorities hope in the city from Borger, authorities shared images of still smoldering areas devastated by fire.
They said they had opened a shelter for displaced people.
Evacuation orders were also issued for a large part of the neighboring town of Fritch, largely deprived of water and electricity.
Record temperatures
Governor Greg Abbott declared a state of disaster for sixty counties on Tuesday, February 27.
Fires near the city of Amarillo have temporarily shut down America's main nuclear bomb factory.
US President Joe Biden is being kept informed of the situation, with the White House in contact with authorities on the front lines of the fire, spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said.
This week, cities across the
United States
and Canada recorded record temperatures for February, with some even experiencing summer heat.
According to experts, in addition to climate change, the El Nino weather phenomenon is to blame.
(
With AFP
)
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