Arizona Tribune - Texas towns evacuated as prairie fires rage

The Smokehouse Creek Fire in the north of the state, listed as "0 percent contained" by the Texas A&M Forest Service, has grown to be the second worst blaze in the history of the state, scorching some 500,000 acres (200,000 hectares).

Following harsh winds and unseasonably warm temperatures, Texas was tracking 32 wildfires, 26 of which had been fully contained as of Wednesday afternoon.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott on Tuesday declared a state of disaster for 60 counties, while blazes near the northern city of Amarillo temporarily caused the shutdown of a nuclear weapons plant.

The National Weather Service in Amarillo said Wednesday that cool temperatures "with weak winds" were expected, which authorities hope will aid them in fighting the fires.

The city of Fritch, large swaths of which have lost electricity and water, issued evacuation orders for much of the town, while neighboring Borger said it opened a shelter for those displaced.

"I don't think a lot of folks that live in the Fritch area are probably going to be prepared for what they're going to see as they pull into town," Hutchinson County Emergency Management spokeswoman Deidra Thomas said in a video update posted on Facebook.

"There are still homes that are on fire."

Amarillo the day before had seen serious air quality issues as winds pushed smoke into the city.

Cities across the United States and Canada saw record February temperatures this week, with summer-like heat. An El Nino weather pattern is at play, in addition to climate change, according to experts.

N.Mitchell--AT