MIAMI, Texas — As firefighters battle the Smokehouse Creek Fire, now the second-largest blaze in Texas state history, people whose livelihoods depend on ranching are dealing with loss of land, livestock and destruction.
On Wednesday, Katie Rice scoured her family’s land for surviving cattle.
“What we do find, [we’re] making sure they’re paired up with their babies. I couldn’t get here fast enough,” Rice told WFAA. “Everybody is so busy up here right now.”
Ranching has been in her family for generations. The Smokehouse Creek fire, one of several wildfires in the Texas Panhandle, burned through her family’s land in minutes.
“The way my dad described it, he probably could not have driven a vehicle across the pasture as fast as the fire was moving,” Rice said.
Thankfully, her parent’s home was not damaged by the wildfire and everyone in her family is safe.
Not everyone can say the same.
The blaze has destroyed homes, killed livestock, burned ranch lands and forced evacuations across the Panhandle.
Wednesday afternoon, law enforcement sources said one person died in the Smokehouse Creek Fire. As of Wednesday evening, the fire grew to 850,000 acres since it ignited Monday, according to Texas A&M Forest Service.
Thankfully, Rice’s family is safe. Her parent’s home is still standing.
Not everyone can say the same.
WFAA partner CNN confirmed one person was killed by the fire. Joyce Blankenship’s family told CNN she was an 83-year-old grandmother and died insider her home.
Rice told WFAA the area’s ranching community is tight-knit.
“Everybody feels the same pain, when everybody else does,” Rice said. “They lost everything, lost their livestock. It’s just saddening. Most people, the ranches have been in the family for generations, and to watch somebody put all this together and have it for that long, the memories… and watch it be gone.”
Adam Turner, a spokesperson with Texas A&M Forest Service, told WFAA crews have a lot of ground to cover. As of Wednesday evening, the fire was only 3% contained.
“It’s quite large,” Turner said. “These really high winds combined with low humidity has just helped this fire push through this landscape very quickly.”
Officials haven't been able to confirm the number of structures destroyed as of yet, Turner said.
Several fire departments across North Texas sent crews to the Panhandle to battle the wildfires.
“Everybody wants to help, and that’s such a good feeling,” Rice said.