Officials have confirmed that power lines sparked massive wildfires across the Texas Panhandle, resulting in the destruction of homes and the loss of thousands of livestock. The largest blaze in state history, known as the Smokehouse Creek fire, which has burned nearly 1,700 square miles and spilled into neighboring Oklahoma, was believed to have been ignited by equipment belonging to utility provider Xcel Energy.
The Texas A&M Forest Service investigators have determined that power lines were the cause of both the Smokehouse Creek fire and the Windy Deuce fire, which has burned about 225 square miles. Xcel Energy acknowledged that its facilities were involved in the ignition of the Smokehouse Creek fire.
