Smokehouse Creek Fire
{{Short description|2024 wildfire in Texas and Oklahoma}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox wildfire
| title = Smokehouse Creek Fire
| image = Smoke from the Smokehouse Creek Fire (2024-02-27).jpg
| image_size = 250px
| alt = Photograph of smoke from the wildfire
| caption = Smoke from the Smokehouse Creek Fire streams across a road on February 27, 2024
| date = February 26, 2024 – March 16, 2024
| time =
| timezone =
| location = Texas Panhandle and Oklahoma, United States
| coordinates = {{coord|35|50|52|N|101|25|57|W|display=inline,title}}
| reference = {{cite web |url=https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident-information/txtxs-smokehouse-creek-fire |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240308180400/https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/incident-information/txtxs-smokehouse-creek-fire |url-status=dead |archive-date=March 8, 2024 |title=Smokehouse Creek Fire Information |date=March 16, 2024 |website=InciWeb |publisher=InciWeb |access-date=March 18, 2024}}{{cite web |url=https://data.usatoday.com/fires/smokehouse-creek/4a55159b-d06f-4574-a689-cc4cdccdc097/ |title=Smokehouse Creek - Wildfire and Smoke Map |date=March 7, 2024 |website=USA Today |publisher=Gannett |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240307000243/https://data.usatoday.com/fires/smokehouse-creek/4a55159b-d06f-4574-a689-cc4cdccdc097/ |archive-date=March 7, 2024 |access-date=March 8, 2024}}
| ongoing = no
| percent_contained = 100%
| update_date = March 16, 2024
| update_time =
| area = approx. {{cvt|1058482|acres|mi2 ha|0}}
| landuse = approx. 2.5% developed
| fatalities = 2
| cause = Downed power lines due to broken utility pole
| image_map = {{maplink|frame=yes|frame-align=center|frame-width=250|frame-height=|from=2024 United States wildfires.map|frame-latitude=35.7|frame-longitude=-100.7|zoom=7|text=Perimeter of the Smokehouse Creek Fire (map data)}}
}}
The Smokehouse Creek Fire was a record-breaking wildfire affecting the northeastern Texas panhandle and western Oklahoma that started on February 26, 2024. The fire affected numerous communities in Hemphill and Roberts counties, including the town of Canadian.{{Cite web |date=February 27, 2024 |title=Smokehouse Creek Fire spreads over 40,000 acres; north of Stinnett |url=https://www.borgernewsherald.com/news/smokehouse-creek-fire-spreads-over-40-000-acres-north-of-stinnett/article_0b9211f6-d53a-11ee-be52-5f6ea6f0d7ef.html |access-date=February 27, 2024 |website=Borger News-Herald |language=en |archive-date=February 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240227224740/https://www.borgernewsherald.com/news/smokehouse-creek-fire-spreads-over-40-000-acres-north-of-stinnett/article_0b9211f6-d53a-11ee-be52-5f6ea6f0d7ef.html |url-status=live}}{{Cite web |last1=Gilbert |first1=Mary |first2=Joe |last2=Sutton |date=February 27, 2024 |title=An explosive Texas fire more than doubles in size as it threatens towns and forces evacuations |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/27/weather/texas-fires-canadian-smokehouse-creek/index.html |access-date=February 27, 2024 |website=CNN |language=en |archive-date=February 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240227224333/https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/27/weather/texas-fires-canadian-smokehouse-creek/index.html |url-status=live}} {{As of|2024|03|16|df=US}}, the fire had burned approximately {{cvt|1058482|acres|mi2 ha|0}} before it was successfully contained, making it the largest wildfire on record in Texas's history (going back to 1988) as well as the largest wildfire in the United States during 2024.{{Cite news |last1=Sutton |first1=Joe |last2=Almasy |first2=Steve |last3=Yan |first3=Holly |last4=Shackelford |first4=Robert |date=February 29, 2024 |title=Deadly Texas wildfire torches 1 million acres – the largest blaze in state history – as more infernos rage out of control |url=https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/29/us/texas-panhandle-smokehouse-creek-fire-thursday/index.html |url-status=live |access-date=February 29, 2024 |work=CNN |archive-date=February 29, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240229065220/https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/29/us/texas-panhandle-smokehouse-creek-fire-thursday/index.html}} It was one of multiple fires during an outbreak of wind-driven wildfires in the Great Plains.
Progression
The Smokehouse Creek Fire began at approximately 2:20 p.m. CST on February 26, 2024, around one mile north of Stinnett, Texas by the intersection of County Road 11 and County Road O. The cause of the fire was downed power lines due to a broken utility pole.{{Cite web |date=2024-03-09 |title=Broken power pole and downed wires caused largest fire in Texas history, investigator says |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/broken-power-pole-downed-wires-caused-smokehouse-creek-fire-rcna142579 |access-date=2024-06-12 |website=NBC News |language=en}} InciWeb records an ignition time of approximately 2:20 p.m. CST, but a heat signature was visible via the GOES-18 weather satellite as early as 12:56 p.m. As the fire spread to the east, it crossed and engulfed northern portions of a stream called Smokehouse Creek, becoming its namesake. The weather conditions over Texas at the time were highly conducive to the spread of fires, with unusually warm temperatures and gusty conditions prevailing over the region.{{cite news |last1=Cappucci |first1=Matthew |title=Potent storm front fans fires in Plains and fuels Midwest tornado threat |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024/02/27/storm-front-fires-tornadoes-snow/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=February 29, 2024 |newspaper=The Washington Post |date=February 27, 2024}}{{Cite web |last=Lindstrom |first=Scott |date=February 28, 2024 |title=Smokehouse Creek Fire in the Texas Panhandle |url=https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/satellite-blog/archives/57431 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240301172825/https://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/satellite-blog/archives/57431 |archive-date=March 1, 2024 |access-date=March 1, 2024 |website=CIMSS Satellite Blog |publisher=Cooperative Institute for Meteorological Satellite Studies & University of Wisconsin-Madison}} The area scorched by the fire grew rapidly to {{cvt|500000|acre|mi2 ha}} within 24 hours of ignition as strong winds fanned the flames eastward.{{cite news |last1=Carver |first1=Jayme Lozano |title=Texas wildfires continue growing as firefighters struggle to contain massive Panhandle blazes |url=https://www.texastribune.org/2024/02/27/texas-panhandle-wildfires-evacuations/ |access-date=February 29, 2024 |work=The Texas Tribune |date=February 28, 2024|orig-date=February 27, 2024 |location=Lubbock, Texas}}
On February 27, 2024, the fire crossed into Oklahoma with evacuations in Gage and Shattuck from unrelated fires the same day.{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Catesby Fire - Wildfire and Smoke Map |url=https://data.oklahoman.com/fires/catesby-fire/17307800-47b3-4881-9226-a83eb2069d82/ |access-date=2024-06-12 |website=The Oklahoman |language=en}}{{Cite web |last=Greco |first=Jonathan |date=February 27, 2024 |title=Evacuations underway in northwestern Oklahoma after Texas' 'Smokehouse Creek Fire' crosses state lines |url=https://www.koco.com/article/wildfire-catesby-oklahoma/46995965 |access-date=February 27, 2024 |website=KOCO |language=en |archive-date=February 27, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240227222654/https://www.koco.com/article/wildfire-catesby-oklahoma/46995965 |url-status=live}} By the next day, blazes began to spread across the region due to high winds.{{cite news |last=Vipers |first=Gareth |date=February 28, 2024 |title=Wildfires Sweep Across Texas Panhandle, Forcing Evacuations – Blazes strengthened by high winds scorch hundreds of thousands of acres |url=https://www.wsj.com/us-news/climate-environment/texas-panhandle-wildfires-oklahoma-evacuations-624ed09b |work=Wall Street Journal |access-date=February 28, 2024 |archive-date=February 28, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240228133456/https://www.wsj.com/us-news/climate-environment/texas-panhandle-wildfires-oklahoma-evacuations-624ed09b |url-status=live}} Following an increase in low-level winds, the fire grew to the second-largest Texas wildfire by the afternoon, and Texas Governor Greg Abbott's disaster declaration stated that 60 counties were affected.{{cite news |last=Greco |first=Jonathan |date=February 28, 2024 |title=Wildfires scorch Oklahoma, Texas Panhandle and briefly shut down nuclear weapons facility |url=https://www.wbaltv.com/article/wildfire-catesby-oklahoma/46997037 |work=KOCO News |location= |access-date=February 28, 2024 |archive-date=February 28, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240228004055/https://www.wbaltv.com/article/wildfire-catesby-oklahoma/46997037 |url-status=live}} Eight hundred and fifty thousand acres were scorched.{{cite news |last1=Ramirez |first1=Rachel |last2=Miller |first2=Brandon |date=February 28, 2024 |title=Smokehouse Creek Fire grows, closing in on largest on record in Texas |url=https://edition.cnn.com/us/live-news/texas-smokehouse-creek-fire-02-27-24/h_921419d354c4edaf517461f594c2c073 |work=CNN |location=Canadian, Texas |access-date=February 28, 2024 |archive-date=February 28, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240228211931/https://edition.cnn.com/us/live-news/texas-smokehouse-creek-fire-02-27-24/h_921419d354c4edaf517461f594c2c073 |url-status=live}} By 3:00 pm CST, the fire was reported to have burned {{cvt|1074047|acres|mi2 ha|0}} with only 3% containment. It had become the largest fire in Texas state history, overtaking the East Amarillo Fort Complex Fire in 2006, which burned 907,245 acres and caused 12 fatalities in various Texas Panhandle cities.
Effects
As of March 16, 2024, the Smokehouse Creek fire has destroyed at least 30 houses in the town of Canadian, Texas, and over 100 houses in Hutchinson County, Texas.{{cite news |author=Joe Sutton |date=February 28, 2024 |title=At least 100 homes impacted in 1 county, neighboring county official says |url=https://edition.cnn.com/us/live-news/texas-smokehouse-creek-fire-02-27-24/h_d2cd666e32bdfc629793a64bf957caf7 |work=CNN |location=Hutchinson County, Texas |access-date=February 28, 2024 |archive-date=February 28, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240228230654/https://edition.cnn.com/us/live-news/texas-smokehouse-creek-fire-02-27-24/h_d2cd666e32bdfc629793a64bf957caf7 |url-status=live}} At least 11,000 people were left without power following the destruction of power lines and miscellaneous infrastructure. Two fatalities, Joyce Blankenship from Stinnett, Texas, and Cindy Owens from Amarillo, Texas, have been confirmed.{{cite news |author=Rebecca Cohen|date=February 29, 2024 |title=Texas wildfires live updates: 2 dead in largest blaze in state history |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/live-blog/texas-wildfires-live-updates-rcna141087 |work=NBC |location=Hutchinson County, Texas |access-date=March 1, 2024 |archive-date=March 1, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240301050329/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/live-blog/texas-wildfires-live-updates-rcna141087 |url-status=live}}