03/02/2024

A Map of Where the Texas Wildfires Are Spreading

Additional fires may result from those underway

The second-largest wildfire in U.S. history, and the largest in state history, is currently sweeping across the Texas Panhandle, burning through more than one million acres of land.

Two people have now been confirmed dead as a result of the blazes. Joyce Blankenship, an 83-year-old grandmother was discovered in the remains of her burned home, while Cindy Owens, an Amarillo woman in her 40s, died Tuesday after she exited her truck for an unknown reason while driving in the Texan city Canadian. Sgt. Chris Ray of the Texas Department of Public Safety said that "the fire simply overtook her," NBC reported.

The largest of the fires—which spans nearly 1.1 million acres—began at Smokehouse Creek and was 15 percent contained as of Sunday, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service. 

Please select this link to read the complete article from TIME.