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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Robert Tait

Power line pole at fault in biggest wildfire in Texas history, report says

Younger woman with blond hair and purple T-shirt stands with hands backward on hips, looking at pile of ash and debris under clear sky.
Tia Champion helps a friend search for items in the remains of her home on 3 March 2024 near Stinnett, Texas. Photograph: Scott Olson/Getty Images

The biggest wildfire in Texas state history, which killed two people and scorched more than 1m acres, was caused by a power line pole that had decayed at the base, an investigation has concluded.

The finding comes from a Texas A&M forest service investigation into the Smokehouse Creek fire, which blazed through the state’s Panhandle region and into neighbouring Oklahoma after breaking out near the small town of Stinnett on 26 February.

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