Cattle ranchers unsure of “what is alive and isn’t”
From CNN’s Amanda Jackson and Elizabeth Wolfe
Towering columns of smoke approached an 80,000-acre ranch outside of Stinnett, Texas, Tuesday, where employees stayed behind to move cattle out of the blaze’s path, a ranch worker’s spouse told CNN.
“We cut the fences and unfortunately had to get out due to firefighters having to go save communities,” said Katlyn Butler, whose husband works at Turkey Track Ranch.
Ranch workers had no time to evacuate livestock as the rapidly growing Smokehouse Creek Fire tore toward them.
Video shared by Butler shows a group of cattle running in the opposite direction of plumes of glowing smoke and fire. They trampled over tufts of brittle, dry grasses that may serve as more fuel for the wildfire.
“We’ve lost cattle. Not sure what is alive and isn’t,” Butler said.
The blazes have “enough fuel to keep going,” meteorologist warns
From CNN’s Joe Sutton
The blazes “still have enough fuel to keep going,” National Weather Service Amarillo Meteorologist Christian Rangel told CNN Tuesday night.
“We have had a high wind and fire event go through ... (and) right now at our office, we are getting gusts up to 35 mph,” Rangel said, adding the winds have switched directions — something forecasters had warned would happen and could help flames expand in a different direction.
There have been reports of damage, including burned structures, in the areas that are under fire warnings and had to be evacuated, Rangel said.
Winds will be strong until early Wednesday morning and humidities should begin to rise Tuesday night, he added.
“Wednesday we are not outlooked for critical fire weather conditions,” Rangel said.
A cold front went through tonight. Once the wind dies down, the fire will go out. No wind, no fire.