Wildfire one of the largest in Texas history

The forecast provided some hope for firefighters — cooler temperatures, less wind and possibly rain Thursday

A cluster of wildfires scorched the Texas Panhandle on Wednesday, including a blaze that grew into one of the largest in state history, as flames moved with alarming speed and blackened the landscape across a vast stretch of small towns and cattle ranches.

Authorities warned that the damage to communities on the high plains could be extensive.

Known as the Smokehouse Creek Fire, the largest blaze expanded to more than 3,370 square kilometres and jumped into parts of neighbouring Oklahoma. It is now larger than the state of Rhode Island, and the Texas A&M Forest Service said the flames were only about 3 per cent contained.

“I believe the fire will grow before it gets fully contained,” said Nim Kidd, chief of the Texas Division of Emergency Management.

The largest fire recorded in state history was the 2006 East Amarillo Complex fire, which resulted in 13 deaths.

“There was one point where we couldn’t see anything,” said Greg Downey, 57, describing his escape from the flames as flames bore down on his neighbourhood. “I didn’t think we’d get out of it.”

Hemphill County Emergency Management Coordinator Bill Kendall described the charred terrain as being “like a moonscape . ... It’s just all gone.”

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for 60 counties. The encroaching flames caused the main facility that disassembles America’s nuclear arsenal to pause operations Tuesday night, but it was open for normal work on Wednesday.

The forecast provided some hope for firefighters — cooler temperatures, less wind and possibly rain Thursday. But for now, the situation was dire in some areas.