Texas Wildfire Torches Over A Million Acres – Texas Needs Our Help

With over 1 million acres and more than 500 buildings torched, Texas needs our help. On Tuesday, what's been designated as "The Smokehouse Creek Fire" exploded in size after a sudden shift of wind direction. As of yesterday, Thursday, 2/29/2024, this cataclysmic is only 3% contained. That's why I've included some links below to help the folks in Texas.

Rancher Navy - Central Texas Fire Relief - Farm and Ranch Briefing

Rancher Navy - Central Texas Fire Relief - Farm and Ranch Briefing

The Smokehouse Creek Fire has now torched more than 1 million acres in Texas alone, making it the largest fire on record in the state. Of course, the blaze had also reached out and destroyed about 35,000 acres in Oklahoma.

 

One example of how much destruction the fire has had is what's happened to the Turkey Track Ranch. The ranch has a 120-year history and has had about 80% of its nearly 80,000 acres burned. The Turkey Track Ranch, which is also known as "the Prize of the Panhandle," is also the site of the Battles of Adobe Walls of 1864 and 1874. 

"The loss of livestock, crops, and wildlife, … as well as other ranches and homes across the region is, we believe, unparalleled in our history,” the Turkey Track Ranch Family Group said in a statement.

As in many towns and cities, the Amarillo National Bank has started a Panhandle Disaster Relief Fund for wildfire victims with a $1 million donation, according to a release from the financial institution.

The Smokehouse Creek Fire has connected up with several other fires going on in that region to now cover over 2,000 square miles. That makes it the largest wildfire in Texas History.  Of course, besides the more than 10,000 cattle that have been killed and the over 500 buildings that have been destroyed, it's horrible that there have also been two people killed because of this fire.

Friends, from what I can determine, no one knows exactly how this started. The fact is that the cause of the fire is unknown. Since the Smokehouse Creek Fire is one of three fires burning in the Texas Panhandle, all with no end in sight, some folks are wondering if these fires were arson. Some have said that it may have been an act of terrorism or the fault of illegal aliens letting a campfire get out of control. A couple of readers have written to tell me that the fires are an effort to shift the already stretched resources of the State of Texas from its efforts on the Border Crisis to fighting a massive fire. 

While this sort of speculation is going on, some are saying that the Smokehouse Creek Fire may be the fault of someone who maybe threw a lit cigarette out of a car. Maybe she has a point? After all, authorities believe it started one mile north of Stinnett, Texas, near the traffic intersection of County Road 11 and County Road O. But other than that, your guess is as good as anyone's.   

Of course, even though no one knows how it started, that did not stop President Biden from blaming the wildfire on "Climate Change" when he visited Texas on Thursday. Instead of waiting to find out how it started, Biden connected the fire to Climate Change and called the millions of Americans who do not believe in Climate Change or the Global Warming Hoax his "Neanderthal friends." 

I guess anyone who thinks this fire could have started from a lit cigarette being tossed out of a car at a traffic intersection must be a "Climate Change Denier and Neanderthal."  

While Biden was calling people names, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott authorized additional state resources to fight the blazes, including 94 firefighting personnel, 33 fire engines, and six air tankers. Gov. Abbott has also voiced his appreciation to everyone fighting this fire and supporting the efforts as much as they can.

Now it's up to us to do what we can to help[.

Thank you, and God Bless you.

Tom Correa