One person has died, whole towns have been evacuated and power has been shut off as Texas continues to grapple with the second-largest fire in American history.
The wildfire, comprising 23 separate smaller fires, is fuelled by dry temperatures and high winds, and has burned 1.1 million acres north of the city of Amarillo – that’s over five times the size of New York City.
Joyce Blankenship, 83 was found dead in her Stinnett home, family members said, in what is currently the only known casualty of the fires.
Julene Castillo, 51, said she attempted to flee her hometown of Canadian, but was forced back by thick smoke on the roads.
Drone footage of the fires shows just how much ground they're covering
Reuters
Castillo said: “The fire was burning all around us – we couldn’t get out… Even with the windows rolled up, your eyes and throat burned."
The National Weather Service in Amarillo warned that fires were likely to continue, with 20-35mph winds forecast for the weekend due to cause “critical fire weather conditions again”.
Texas has raised its ‘fire preparedness level’ to three – as a result, it may require external help from other states, areas and organisations.
And the fires have moved east – having started in Texas’ Panhandle, 12 blazes have burned a total of 115,000 acres in Oklahoma.
Shocking pictures show the blazes turning the sky yellow with smoke
Reuters