Firefighters keep up battle to stamp out largest wildfire in Texas history

Firefighters keep up battle to stamp out largest wildfire in Texas history

Planes dropped fire retardant over the Texas Panhandle on March 3 and a small community was ordered to evacuate as firefighters kept up efforts to stamp out the largest wildfire in state history while contending with new blazes.

Strong winds spread the flames further, prompting an evacuation order to be issued in Sanford, a town of a little more than 100 residents, according to the Amarillo office of the National Weather Service, which posted on X. A cluster of fires has burned more than 1,900 square miles (4,900 square kilometers) in rural areas surrounding Amarillo, including the largest blaze spilling into neighboring Oklahoma.

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As firefighters battle to contain the unprecedented wildfires, humanitarian organizations are pivoting their attention to victims who have lost their homes and livelihoods in the blazes.

Residents began clearing affected property on Saturday, and by Sunday the extent of the loss began mounting.

Julie Winters, the executive director for Hutchinson County United Way, said the organization has heard estimates of over 150 homes being impacted in the county, noting that the fires extend to at least five other counties.

“We already know that a large group of people are uninsured who lost their homes. So without monetary assistance, it’s going to be very hard for them to start back over,” Ms. Winters said.