PICTURED: First victim of Smokehouse Creek Fire is identified as 83-year-old grandmother as blaze grows to more than 1 million acres and incredible satellite photos show devastation of fire
An 83-year-old grandmother has been identified as the first victim of the Smokehouse Creek Fire in Texas.
Joyce Blankenship lived in the Scotts Acres neighborhood and her body was found in Stinnett, Hutchinson County Public Engagement Coordinator Deidra Thomas said in a statement Wednesday.
Blankenship is the first reported death in the wildfires that burned more than 1 million hectares on Wednesday evening.
Since Monday’s fire, it has spread and become the second-largest wildfire on record in the Lone Star State, burning 850,000 acres.
The wildfires sweeping across the Texas Panhandle have led to evacuations, power outages and the temporary closure of a nuclear weapons facility.
Joyce Blankenship, 83, (right) lived in the Scotts Acres neighborhood and her body was found in Stinnett
The grandmother has been identified as the first victim of Texas’ Smokehouse Creek Fire
Since burning on Monday, the Smokehouse Creek Fire has burned 850,000 acres, becoming the second-largest wildfire ever in the Lone Star State.
Republican Gov. Greg Abbott has issued a disaster declaration for 60 counties in response to the wildfires.
“Texans are urged to limit activities that could cause sparks and take precautions to keep their loved ones safe,” Abbott said.
More than 5,400 people in Texas were without power Wednesday morning.
The Pantex plant, the country’s main facility that assembles and disassembles the U.S. nuclear arsenal, had evacuated most of its workforce Tuesday evening as fires near the facility grew out of control.
On Wednesday, Pantex tweeted that the facility is “open for normal day shifts” and that all staff were required to report to their assigned schedule.
Dozens of cattle have also been killed as devastating video showed cattle burned in the aftermath of the fires that swept through Texas.
One clip shows the scattered bodies of livestock that died as a result of the flames, which spread at an average speed of 150 football fields per minute.
Ranch workers didn’t have time to evacuate their livestock as the blazing fire approached, Katlyn Butler, whose husband works at the Turkey Track Ranch, told CNN.
“Houses have burned in almost every direction,” Hemphill County Judge Lisa Johnson told local newspaper The Canadian Record
Wind gusts of up to 100 km per hour, dry conditions and unusually warm temperatures have fueled the fires
Flames from the Smokehouse Creek Fire have spread at an average rate of 150 football fields per minute. Remains of plants burned by the Smokehouse Creek Fire are pictured
The aerial photo shows the damage in the aftermath of the Texas wildfires
Smoke rises from smoldering hay bales outside the town of Canadian, Texas, on Wednesday
The remains of a burned-out home in Canada, Texas, smoldered Wednesday
“We cut the fences and unfortunately had to get out because firefighters had to go save communities,” she told the outlet.
“We’ve lost livestock. I’m not sure what’s alive and what’s not,” Butler told CNN.
“The Smokehouse Creek fire is being fueled by southwesterly winds up to 60 miles per hour and is spreading rapidly from east to northeast toward the city of Canadian, Texas,” AccuWeather said severe weather expert Guy Pearson.
Gusty winds, dry conditions and unseasonably warm temperatures have fueled the fires.
The Grape Vine Creek Fire has reached 30,000 acres, the Reamer Fire has scorched 2,000 acres, Windy Deuce Fire has burned 40,000 acres and the Magenta Fire has destroyed 2,000 acres, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.
Evacuations were ordered in Skellytown, Wheeler, Allison and Briscoe, according to the National Weather Service in Amarillo.
The Canadian Independent School District canceled classes on Wednesday.
“Houses have burned in almost every direction,” Hemphill County Judge Lisa Johnson told the local newspaper The Canadian record.
A cow killed by the Smokehouse Creek wildfire lies at a cattle guard outside Canadian, Texas
Ranch workers didn’t have time to evacuate their livestock as the blazing fire approached
Texas wildfires have collectively burned more than 1 million acres
Devastating video shows livestock being burned in the wake of wildfires sweeping across Texas
One person has been confirmed dead and dozens of cattle have also been killed, while devastating video shows cattle burned in the aftermath of the wildfires sweeping through Texas.
Randall County, Potter County and the city of Amarillo had declared a local state of emergency, according to the Amarillo Area Office of Emergency Management.
The Hansford County Office of Emergency Management said on Facebook: “Structures and homes lost in Hemphill County, inside and outside Canada.”
“Multiple areas in Fritch and surrounding areas have been evacuated and several homes have been lost to the fires.”
The weather forecast offered some hope for firefighters, with cooler temperatures, less wind and possible rain on Thursday.
AccuWeather meteorologist Dan DePodwin said, “Winds on Wednesday are expected to be 6-18 mph, which will be much calmer than Tuesday. This should help with firefighting.”