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A massive fire cluster<\/a> in Texas has been burning out of control, threatening small towns whose authorities are encouraging residents to evacuate before closing roads.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Smokehouse Creek Fire, which is also the largest of the cluster at 800 square miles, has spread into parts of Oklahoma and is not yet contained.<\/p>\n The fire burned around 40 homes around the outskirts of Canadian, but the town\u2019s core escaped the blaze. Residents who hadn\u2019t evacuated were sheltering in place<\/a> on Tuesday evening because the roads were closed.<\/p>\n The Pantex nuclear plant, located northeast of Amarillo, evacuated non-essential personnel on February 27th. However, according to a tweet from Pantex<\/a>, it \u201cis open for normal day shift operations\u201d on Wednesday morning.<\/p>\n On Tuesday, Governor Greg Abbott issued a disaster declaration for 60 counties<\/a> because of \u201cwidespread fire activity throughout the state,\u201d stating that he may include additional counties if the conditions worsen and the fire spreads.<\/p>\n The governor\u2019s disaster declaration enables the Texas Division of Emergency Management to activate emergency response resources to help local authorities and firefighters.<\/p>\n Governor Abbott also urged residents to \u201climit activities that could create sparks and take precautions to keep their loved ones safe.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s unclear what caused the blazes, and authorities haven\u2019t disclosed the causes, although they seem related to the extreme weather<\/a> the Texas Panhandle experienced before the fires.<\/p>\n The affected region has experienced hot, dry weather<\/a> and sustained winds of 45 mph and gusts of up to 70 mph.<\/p>\n Luckily, the fires are raging in sparsely populated areas that could see rain in the forecast as early as Thursday, giving firefighters hope to contain the fires soon.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\nFire Destroys Homes in Canadian<\/h2>\n
Governor Abbott Issues Disaster Declaration for 60 Counties<\/h2>\n
Cause Of Fire Still Unknown<\/h2>\n