Texas wildfire becomes second-largest fire in US history
- Published
- comments
Firefighters in Texas have been fighting what is now the second-largest recorded fire in US history.
North of the city of Amarillo, the wildfire has burned through more than 1 million acres - that's more than two-and-a-half times the size of London.
People have been forced to leave their homes for safety and thousands of households and businesses have been left without power.
Hundreds of firefighters and emergency workers are tackling the blaze and it was hoped that rain and cooler temperatures on Thursday would help too.
The wildfire has been named the Smokehouse Creek Fire.
The second largest fire in the history of Texas was the East Amarillo Complex fire that burned more than 900,000 acres in 2006.
The state's governor Greg Abbott has issued a disaster declaration in 60 counties and several towns, a neighbourhood in Amarillo, and some other communities have been evacuated, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service and local law enforcement.
More than 4,800 homes and businesses have been left without power, and operations at a nuclear weapons facility have been paused for safety.
A wildfire is an uncontrolled fire that burns usually in places like forests or on dry grasslands
They can be started by people, for example by dropping a match, or naturally, such as by a strike of lightning
If an area is particularly windy, it can make the fire grow bigger
A combination of dry grass, high temperatures and strong winds are making the fire difficult to put out.
The fire service said winds had eased slightly, which was helping to slow its spread.
The National Weather Service has warned people living near Amarillo to stay indoors with their pets because of poor air quality.
Recent high temperatures have also led to wildfires in nearby states, like Nebraska and Kansas.
- Published20 March 2023
- Published3 August 2018
- Published24 February 2022