Wildfire grows into 2nd-largest in Texas history

Authorities had not reported any deaths or injuries as of Wednesday morning

A fastmoving wildfire burning through the Texas Panhandle grew into the second-largest blaze in state history Wednesday, forcing evacuations and triggering power outages as firefighters struggled to contain the widening flames.

The sprawling blaze was part of a cluster of fires that burned out of control and threatened rural towns, where local officials shut down roads and urged residents to leave their homes.

The largest of the fires — which expanded to nearly 800 square miles (2,072 square kilometres) — jumped into parts of neighboring Oklahoma and was completely uncontained as dawn broke, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.

Authorities had not reported any deaths or injuries as of Wednesday morning as huge plumes of smoke billowed hundreds of feet above the blackened landscape. But early assessments indicated that property damage could be extensive.

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

Kendall said about 40 homes were burned around the perimeter of the town of Canadian, but no buildings were lost inside the community.

Authorities have not said what ignited the fires, but strong winds, dry grass and unseasonably warm temperatures fed the blazes.

Near Borger, a community of about 13,000 people, emergency officials at one point late Tuesday answered questions from panicked residents on Facebook and told them to get ready to leave if they had not already.

Republican Gov. Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for 60 counties.