Wildfires sweep through Amarillo and Canyon area, prompting mandatory evacuations

Update: 11:57 p.m.

A well-known trestle bridge leading into Canyon began collapsing in flames Thursday. High Plains Pundit has contacted BNSF Railway for information on how the loss of the trestle could affect rail deliveries and how long replacement efforts may take.

Update: 11:38 p.m.

The Amarillo Office of Emergency Management announced that evacuation orders related to the “Hungate” Fire have been lifted, allowing residents to return home.

Officials urged returning evacuees to use caution, as emergency crews remain in the area to continue monitoring conditions.

Update: 11:21 p.m.

The City of Canyon reported there have been no confirmed fatalities related to the “Hungate” Fire. Officials also said an unconfirmed number of structures were damaged or destroyed.

The American Red Cross assisted evacuees, and the Cole Community Center, located at 300 16th Street, was opened as an emergency shelter.

Agencies responding to the fire included the Canyon Fire Department, Canyon Police Department, City of Canyon, Randall County Sheriff’s Office, Texas Division of Emergency Management, Amarillo Area Office of Emergency Management, Randall County Fire Department, Randall County Emergency Service Unit, West Texas A&M University Police Department, Department of Public Safety, BSA EMS, Hereford Fire Department, Tulia Fire Department, and Texas A&M Forest Service.

Update: 10:37 p.m.

Texas A&M Forest Service reported the “Hungate” Fire had burned approximately 14,000 acres and was 15% contained.

Officials said forward progression of the fire had been stopped.

Original post:

Wildfires fueled by high winds, dry conditions and severe weather swept across the Texas Panhandle Thursday evening, prompting mandatory evacuations near Canyon and Amarillo as fire crews battled multiple fast-moving blazes that had burned more than 14,000 acres by late night.

The largest fires — the Hungate Fire and the Y Fire in Randall County — had collectively scorched approximately 14,000 acres by 8:57 p.m., according to the Amarillo Area Office of Emergency Management. The Texas A&M Forest Service reported the fire complex was about 10% contained late Thursday evening.

“At this time, we do not have a confirmed number of damaged or lost structures,” the Amarillo agency said in a statement.

The rapidly changing fire situation forced evacuations in several communities southwest of Canyon as smoke, dust and strong winds reduced visibility and created dangerous travel conditions across the region.

The Randall County Sheriff’s Office announced at 6:56 p.m. that evacuations were underway “in the area between Hungate Road and FM 1714 and Arnot Road and FM 1705.” Officials later expanded evacuation zones along FM 1705 and FM 1714 extending north and east to Brown Road, south of County Road 283.

By about 7 p.m., the Amarillo Office of Emergency Management issued a mandatory evacuation order for residents in the Chaparral Villas area near Brown Road and Cemetery Road outside Canyon. Officials also urged residents from Canyon Junior High east to U.S. Highway 87 to prepare for possible evacuations if conditions worsened.

Residents were advised to gather medications, important documents, pets and essential belongings in anticipation of potential evacuation orders. An evacuation shelter was established at Cole Community Center in Canyon.

As fires intensified Thursday evening, Canyon High School was evacuated and evening activities were postponed, according to social media reports. Additional mandatory evacuations were later issued near 13th Avenue in Randall County.

Some evacuation orders were lifted later in the evening as crews gained ground in certain areas. Megan Nance with the City of Canyon said residents in the Southwind neighborhood, along Rice Road and Cattle Drive, were allowed to return home.

The fires developed as severe thunderstorms moved through the Panhandle, bringing strong winds and lightning that officials said likely contributed to fire starts across the region.

The Hungate Fire in Randall County was estimated at 7,000 acres with no containment as of 7:40 p.m., according to the Texas A&M Forest Service. Another major blaze, the Shifty Fire in northern Potter County near U.S. Highway 87, had burned an estimated 3,000 acres by 8:16 p.m. The fire was initially listed at 10% containment before improving to 20% containment by 9 p.m.

The National Weather Service office in Amarillo issued multiple fire warnings Thursday evening at the request of the Amarillo Office of Emergency Management as satellite imagery showed numerous hotspots throughout the region.

At 5:56 p.m., the NWS warned that multiple dangerous wildfires were moving rapidly northeast through Potter County at speeds of 3 to 5 mph. Areas impacted included northern Amarillo, Interstate 40, Valley de Oro and U.S. Highway 287 north of Amarillo. That warning was later lifted.

A second warning issued shortly after 6 p.m. warned of multiple dangerous wildfires in southwestern Randall County moving east to northeast at similar speeds. Areas affected included Canyon, Highway 60 west of the city and Interstate 27 south of Amarillo. The warning was reissued at 7:51 p.m. and remained in effect until 10 p.m.

Officials warned that smoke and fire conditions could make travel hazardous and urged residents to be prepared to evacuate if requested.

The Amarillo Area Office of Emergency Management said crews continued responding to active grass and wildfire incidents throughout both Potter and Randall counties Thursday night.

“Residents may see smoke from varying locations depending on wind conditions,” the agency said in a Facebook post. “Please avoid affected areas when possible and use caution if traveling near emergency response activity.”

Officials also urged the public to avoid activities that could ignite additional fires, including parking on dry grass, outdoor burning and towing chains that may create sparks.

The dangerous fire conditions extended beyond Amarillo and Canyon. The Texas Panhandle remained under a red flag warning until 9 p.m. Thursday, with wind gusts reaching up to 30 mph, temperatures climbing into the 90s and relative humidity dropping as low as 14%.

The National Weather Service said the primary hazards associated with the scattered thunderstorms were strong wind gusts and lightning-induced fires.

Several other fires were reported across the region Thursday night. A blaze in Oldham County had burned about 50 acres before being fully contained by 9:15 p.m. The McBride Fire in Carson County was estimated at 600 acres and 40% contained as of 8:33 p.m. Additional fires were reported in Motley County.

The fire danger also spread into neighboring states. In New Mexico, mandatory evacuations were issued near Nara Visa because of the Line Fire. In Oklahoma, authorities issued a fire warning for southern Cimarron County near Boise City as another wildfire rapidly advanced east-northeast near Highway 287.

Transportation disruptions accompanied the fires. The Texas Department of Transportation temporarily closed U.S. Highway 54 between RM 3296 and the New Mexico state line due to fire activity before reopening the roadway later Thursday evening.

Power outages were also reported across portions of the Panhandle and South Plains. Xcel Energy’s outage map showed around 20 outages affecting more than 1,650 customers by approximately 8:15 p.m.

Officials cautioned that conditions remained volatile Thursday night as firefighters continued battling multiple active incidents across the Panhandle.