Power lines blamed in Texas wildfires
Power lines ignited widespread wildfires across the Texas panhandle that killed at least two people, destroyed homes and livestock, and left a charred landscape, officials said Thursday, including the largest blaze in state history.
The Texas A&M Forest Service said its investigators concluded that power lines ignited the Smokehouse Creek fire, which has burned nearly 1,700 square miles and spilled into neighboring Oklahoma, and the nearby Windy Deuce fire, which has burned about 225 square miles. The statement did not elaborate on what led to the power lines igniting the blazes.
Utility provider Xcel Energy said its equipment appeared to have sparked the Smokehouse Creek fire. The Minnesota-based company said in the news release it did not believe its equipment caused the ignition of the Windy Deuce fire.
The Smokehouse Creek fire was 74% contained Thursday, while the Windy Deuce fire was 89%. But the Forest Service warned that high winds were expected to be moving across the dry landscape, increasing fire danger.
A lawsuit filed last week in Hemphill County claimed that a downed power line near the town of Stinnett Feb. 26 sparked the Smokehouse Creek fire.
In its Thursday news release, Xcel Energy disputed claims of negligence in maintaining and operating infrastructure.
In a statement that followed Xcel Energy’s news release, Mikal Watts, the attorney who filed the lawsuit on behalf of the homeowner, said an inspection Wednesday of the downed utility pole found “a heavily degraded wooden pole that should have been removed from service long ago.”
Xcel did not immediately respond to those comments from Watts.
Two women were confirmed killed by the wildfires last week, one who was overtaken by flames south of Canadian after getting out of her truck and another whose remains were found in her burned home in Stinnett. Fritch Fire Chief Zeb Smith died Tuesday while responding to a house fire.
The Associated Press has requested the full reports from the Forest Service on the causes of the Smokehouse Creek and Windy Deuce fires.