Texas Wildfires Claim One Life
Family members identified 83-year-old Joyce Blankenship as the first and only person killed from the fires to date.
As 23 separate wildfires continue to burn across more than a million acres in Texas Thursday, one person has died.
Family members identified 83-year-old Joyce Blankenship as the first and only person killed from the fires to date.
The flames broke out on Monday and have since destroyed many structures including homes.
The blazes have also prompted evacuations and declared emergencies for 60 counties.
The Wildfire at Smokehouse Creek has been deemed the state’s second-largest fire in it’s history. It’s only 3% contained and has covered 850,000 acres, making it bigger than the state of Rhode Island.
The fires have now moved east from the Texas Panhandle spreading into Oklahoma.
Extreme heat and high winds are among several factors that are expected to continue feeding the flames.
