Ranchers struggle with burned cattle, lack of feed after Texas fires

The state says 7,350 animals were killed, mostly livestock. Officials in the counties hit say the death toll could be higher.

The Smokehouse Creek fire tore through more than 1 million acres of Texas panhandle grasslands. It killed two people. The animal casualties are much worse.

Officially, the state says 7,350 animals were killed, mostly livestock. But officials in the counties hit hardest by the fire believe the death toll could be much higher. Thousands of animals either died from the flames or had to be euthanized because of severe injuries.

There are more cattle than people in this part of Texas. Other than fossil fuels, cattle underpin this economy. Donald Hill has unexpected visitors, but they're perfectly welcome on his 4,000-acre ranch in Canadian, Texas.

"They actually are from across the river," Hill said. "When they come out, they get caught in the fire."

About two dozen red Angus cattle from a neighboring ranch joined his herd. Mother cows and their young fled the flames of one of the most destructive fires ever to hit the Texas panhandle.