texas wildfire News

Xcel Energy Acknowledges Role in Texas Panhandle Wildfire

Xcel Energy on Thursday acknowledged its involvement in the Smokehouse Creek Fire, which started last week and quickly became the largest wildfire in state history, burning more than 1 million acres. “Based on currently available information, Xcel Energy acknowledges that …

Texas Fire Chief Dies While Fighting House Fire in City Hit Hard by Wildfires

A Texas fire chief whose small town was among the hardest hit last week by historic blazes sweeping across the Panhandle died Tuesday while fighting a house fire, authorities said. The house fire that Fritch Fire Chief Zeb Smith, 40, …

Austin, Texas Officials Report At Least 90 Fires From July 4th Celebrations

The Austin, Texas fire department reported at least 90 fires the night of July 4th in spite of a fireworks ban ordered by Austin and Travis County officials. Most of the fires were small grass, dumpster and trash fires, the …

South Texas Wildfire Destroys 3 Homes; Blaze Only 10% Contained

A wildfire has burned more an 1,000 acres in South Texas forcing some people to evacuate, destroying three homes and knocking out power to more than 100 others, officials said on March 27. Gov. Greg Abbott declared a disaster in …

Texas Rolling Pines Wildfire 70% Contained, Some Evacuations Lifted

A wildfire in a central Texas state park is no longer growing and no injuries were reported after the blaze, suspected to have been caused by a prescribed burn, charred 1.2 square miles (3.2 square kilometers), officials said. Texas A&M …

Controlled Burn Likely Source for Bastrop County, Texas Wildfire

A wildfire burning east of Austin, Texas was likely the resulted of a planned burn, officials said. The Rolling Pines Fire in Bastrop County had burned through more than 780 acres and was 30% contained as of the morning of …

Tornado-Spawning Storm System Killed 3 in Midwest, Moved Eastward

A spring-like storm system that killed at least three people as it spawned tornadoes and damaged dozens of homes in the central U.S. rumbled eastward on March 1, putting about 95 million people in its path, forecasters said. The compact …

Weather-Related Property Claims Mount in Texas

Severe weather in all regions of the state this year has resulted in high numbers of insurance claims from property and auto losses in Texas, according to an insurance company trade group. The Insurance Council of Texas reported that paid …