10/12/2026
🔥We are back with the Top 10 Largest Wildfires in Texas, and today, we are finishing with #2 and #1:
#2: East Amarillo Complex Fire
Twelve people lost their lives. Eleven-foot flames spread 45 miles in just 9 hours. Eight towns were evacuated. Among those who lost their lives was James McMorries, a firefighter with the Howardwick Volunteer Fire Department, who gave his life protecting others. He is one of the most remembered line-of-duty losses in Texas wildfire history. Volunteer departments including Howardwick VFD, Stinnett VFD, Canadian VFD, Miami/Roberts VFD, Lefors VFD, White Deer VFD, and Skellytown VFD answered the call.
#1: Smoke House Creek FIre
With over one million acres burned, it is the largest wildfire in Texas history. And at the center of it all, were volunteer firefighters. 💙 The Smokehouse Creek Fire ignited on February 26, 2024, near Stinnett, Texas, and was started by downed power lines from a broken utility pole. Within days it had consumed 1,058,482 acres across Hutchinson, Roberts, and Hemphill counties and crossed into Oklahoma. Two people were killed. 500+ structures destroyed. More than 15,000 cattle perished. Before state and federal resources could even arrive, the Canadian VFD, Stinnett VFD, Miami/Roberts VFD, McLean VFD, and dozens of other local volunteer departments who showed up first. They evacuated residents, protected structures, and put themselves between their communities and the fire. Red Cross, FEMACorps, Team Rubicon, Texas A&M AgriLife, and the Amarillo Area Foundation all rallied behind the communities affected. 🤠
Behind every number in this series is a human story. There is a volunteer who showed up first, a crew that drove hours to help a stranger's community, a firefighter who gave everything. To every first responder who has ever faced a Texas wildfire, TESRS is honored to serve you. 🚒
