DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ Xcel Energy says its facilities may have started largest wildfire in Texas history
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-07 | by ( Doha Madani | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +1 min

Xcel Energy facilities "appear to have been involved in an ignition" of a giant wildfire that's been blazing across the Texas Panhandle since last month, the company said in a statement Thursday. The cause of the Smokehouse Creek Fire — the biggest in state history, burning well over 1 million acres — is still under investigation by Texas officials, but the utility company said it is also conducting its own review. "Xcel Energy disputes claims that it acted negligently in maintaining and operating its infrastructure; however, we encourage people who had property destroyed by or livestock lost in the Smokehouse Creek fire to submit a claim to Xcel Energy through our claims process," the statement said. Claims filed to the company will be handled expeditiously, prioritizing those who lost their homes in the fire, the company said. The Texas A&M Forest Service said the ongoing Smokehouse Creek Fire is the largest blaze in state history, burning more than 1,059,570 acres.

Organizations: Xcel Energy, Texas Panhandle, Energy, Texas, M Forest Service Locations: Texas

☆ Texas wildfires: Firefighters battling ‘monster’ blaze contend with winds and heat as residents grapple with lost homes
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-03 | by ( Dalia Faheid | Camila Bernal | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —The biggest inferno in Texas history is being fueled by winds and high temperatures as it rages Sunday, threatening to incinerate more buildings, cattle and livelihoods across the Texas Panhandle while residents sift through ashes of what used to be homes. The fire, which is just one of five blazes currently scorching the Texas Panhandle, has already killed two people and destroyed over 500 structures, state officials said Saturday. Texas A&M Forest Service spokesperson Jason Nedlo told CNN Saturday that the blaze could grow over the weekend due to the weather conditions. Because the Texas Panhandle had higher-than-average rainfall this winter, there is more grass – fuel – to burn. A “red flag” warning, which indicates critical fire weather conditions, remains in effect for Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle through midnight Sunday.

Persons: Jason Nedlo, Crews, Nedlo, Cindy Owen, Jennifer Mitchell, Owen’s, Joyce Blankenship, “, ”, Nathan Blankenship, could’ve, GoFundMe, Lokman Vural, Susan, Ronnie Johnson’s, ” Ronnie, “ We’ve, ” Susan, Greg Abbott, ” Abbott, it’s, Scott Olson, Sid Miller, It’s, ” Miller, CNN’s Omar Jimenez, We’ve, ” “, Miller Organizations: CNN, Texas Panhandle, National Weather Service, M Forest, Texas, M, Service, Texans, Connect, Services, Getty, Texas Gov, Agriculture Locations: Texas, Oklahoma, Moore County, Gray County, Oldham County, Hutchinson County, Pampa , Texas, Hemphill County, Fritch, Stinnett , Texas, Anadolu, Fritch , Texas

☆ How a warming climate is setting the stage for fast-spreading, destructive wildfires
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-03 | by ( Laura Paddison | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

This fire adds to an ever-lengthening list of rapidly spreading, destructive wildfires in the US and elsewhere. To understand why the Texas fires have been so fierce you have to look to last spring, said Luke Kanclerz, a fire analyst at Texas A&M Forest Service. It only took a short period of warm, dry weather for them to dry out further, providing a carpet for the fire to spread. Yuki Iwamura/AFP/Getty ImagesScientists are still working to understand what impact, if any, global warming is having on the winds that whip up wildfires. Research has found climate change is fueling the rapid intensification of hurricanes, pushing storms to explode at a deadly pace.

Persons: it’s, Cpl Marc, Andre Leclerc, ”, John Abatzoglou, Luke Kanclerz, Kanclerz, Mike Flannigan, Abatzoglou, “ There’s, ” John Nielsen, Gammon, Yuki Iwamura, Dora, Kaitlyn Trudeau, Trudeau, ” CNN’s Rachel Ramirez Organizations: CNN, United, European Union, Canadian Forces, Reuters, University of California, ”, Texas, M, Service, Texas Panhandle, University of Alberta, Getty, Climate Central, The Locations: United States, Maui, California, Paradise, Canada, Greece, Chile, Mistissini, Quebec, Merced, Texas, Hawaii, West Texas, Gammon , Texas, Lahaina, AFP, Hawaii’s, The Texas, Plains

☆ Dry Winds Could Spread Texas Wildfires Over the Weekend
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-01 | by ( Anna Betts | More About Anna Betts | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Wildfires continued to burn out of control in northern Texas on Friday morning, and officials warned that warm, windy and dry weather was expected to return over the weekend that could fan the flames. The National Weather Service forecast “critical fire weather conditions” in the region on Saturday and Sunday, and urged residents to refrain from outdoor activities that might generate sparks or flames over the weekend, which includes Texas Independence Day on Saturday. A fire weather watch was posted for Saturday afternoon through Sunday evening, covering the Texas Panhandle and nearby parts of Oklahoma. Five fires were still active in the Panhandle on Friday morning, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service. The Smokehouse Creek fire has charred at least 1,075,000 acres of land, making it the largest wildfire on record in Texas history.

Organizations: National Weather Service, Texas Independence, Texas Panhandle, Oklahoma ., Texas, M, Service Locations: Texas, Oklahoma, Panhandle

CNN —The wildfire in Texas has already killed two people, demolished hundreds of structures and obliterated thousands of cattle as it became the biggest blaze in the state’s history. Some 8 million people across the Central Plains are under “red flag” warnings and temperatures are above normal in the Texas Panhandle. So far, the Smokehouse Creek Fire has spread across more than 1 million acres and has become the biggest Texas wildfire on record. And the fire is just one of five blazes currently scorching the Texas Panhandle, destroying as many as 500 structures. Sunday’s fire weather threat will be greatest for the Texas Panhandle and western Texas, according to the Storm Prediction Center.

Persons: Cindy Owen, Jennifer Mitchell, Owen’s, Joyce Blankenship, “, ”, Nathan Blankenship, could’ve, Sid Miller, GoFundMe, Greg Abbott, he’d, Sammy Schafer, Leah Millis, ” Abbott, it’s, there’s, Miller, Shane Pennington, Pennington, “ It’s, they’re, ” Pennington, he’s, “ We’ve, ” Miller, We’ve, ” CNN’s Gene Norman, Rebekah Riess, Sara Tonks, Eric Zerkel, Sarah Davis Organizations: CNN, Texas Panhandle, Storm Prediction Center, Storm Prediction, Texas, M, Service, Texans, Connect, Services, Texas Panhandle Gov, Reuters Locations: Texas, Plains, South Dakota, Denver, Colorado Springs, Colorado, Lubbock, Amarillo, Oklahoma, Central, Amarillo , Midland, Odessa, Moore County, Gray County, Oldham County, Hutchinson County, Pampa , Texas, Hemphill County, Fritch, Canadian , Texas

☆ Firefighters Rush to Contain Texas Wildfire, Now the State’s Largest on Record
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( J. David Goodman | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

A vast and growing wildfire, one of several burning in the Texas Panhandle, has now become the largest on record in the state’s history, according to state figures on Thursday. The fire has scorched more than a million acres of land, devastating cattle ranches, consuming homes and continuing to rage out of control. One rancher, Jeff Chisum, described walking with surviving calves past the charred remains of adult cows scattered along a road. “It’s hard to watch,” said Mr. Chisum, whose ranch north of the town of Pampa and directly in the path of the fire ignited on Monday. It was only 3 percent contained on Thursday morning, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.

Persons: Jeff Chisum, ”, Chisum Organizations: Texas Panhandle, Texas, M, Service Locations: Texas, Pampa, New York City

☆ Second largest wildfire in Texas history has scorched 850,000 acres
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-29 | by ( Joe Sutton | Steve Almasy | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

A satellite image shows Fritch, Texas in August 2023. Maxar Technologies Satellite images show homes in Fritch, Texas, before the wildfire (in August 2023), and after (on Wednesday). Maxar Technologies Satellite images show homes in Fritch, Texas, before the fire (in August 2023), and after (on Wednesday). A sudden shift of wind direction in the Texas panhandle this week contributed to the explosion in size of the Smokehouse Creek wildfire. Latest developments* The Smokehouse Creek Fire grew from 500,000 acres to 850,000 on Wednesday, according to fire officials.

Persons: Joyce Blankenship, Fritch, ” Frank Probst, ”, “, Adam Turner, Snow, Andy Holloway, Greg Abbott, Kevin Stitt, ” Hutchinson, Tyler McCain, Fritch’s, McCain, Addison, Addison can’t, ” McCain, Windy Deuce, Probst, CNN’s Caroll Alvarado, Amanada Jackson, Monica Garrett, Sharif Paget, Sara Tonks, Lucy Kafanov, Andi Babineau Organizations: CNN, Maxar, M Forest Service, AgriLife, Texas, Oklahoma Gov, Amarillo National Bank, Panhandle Disaster Relief Locations: Texas, Rhode, state’s, Oklahoma, Stinnett ., , Texas, Fritch , Texas, Hemphill, Hemphill County, Canadian, Amarillo, Amarillo ., Hutchinson County, Stinnett, Borger, Fritch

☆ Wildfires Prompt Evacuations in Texas and Oklahoma
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( John Yoon | More About John Yoon | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Wildfires were spreading rapidly in Texas and Oklahoma early Wednesday, prompting evacuations and the closure of a plant that disassembles nuclear weapons. In Texas, Gov. The largest current blaze in the Texas Panhandle, the Smokehouse Creek fire, has burned at least 300,000 acres since igniting on Monday, fueled by strong winds and dry conditions, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service. “Hot and dry conditions caused by high temperatures and windy conditions are expected to continue in the region in the coming days,” Governor Abbott said in a statement. “These conditions could increase the potential for these wildfires to grow larger and more dangerous.”

Persons: Greg Abbott, Abbott Organizations: Gov, Texas Panhandle, Texas, M, Service Locations: Texas, Oklahoma

☆ Live Updates: Smokehouse Creek Fire grows rapidly in Texas
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-27 | by ( Christina Maxouris | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +2 min

Different police and fire departments across Texas have mobilized units to help crews battle Smokehouse Creek Fire. Flower Mound Fire DepartmentThe ongoing wildfires have been largely driven by high winds and dry air. And high wind warnings and red flag warnings remain in effect in the region until 8 p.m. local time. "The Texas A&M Forest Service reports that several large wildfires ignited yesterday under warm, dry, and windy conditions across the Texas Panhandle," Texas Gov. A cold front that's pushing through the area Tuesday evening will bring cooler air and shift winds.

Persons: Greg Abbott, Chad Myers Organizations: Texas, M Forest Service, Texas Panhandle, CNN Locations: Texas, South Plains, Texoma, East Texas

☆ Factbox: Hottest spots in U.S. as heat wave blankets Southwest
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

In many places in the Southwest, where hot summers are the norm, extreme temperatures are in the forecast. Here are some of the hottest spots, according to NWS forecasts for Wednesday: PHOENIXForecast high: 113 degrees Fahrenheit (45 Celsius)All-time record: 122 degrees Fahrenheit on June 26, 1990. By July 15, temperatures could climb to 118 degrees Fahrenheit, just four degrees shy of the all-time high. LAS VEGASForecast high: 109 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius)All-time record: 118 degrees Fahrenheit on July 26, 1931The heat wave has descended on Las Vegas just two weeks after the desert city set a record for consecutive days below 100 degrees Fahrenheit. The record high of 134 degrees is also the highest ambient temperature ever recorded on the Earth's surface.

Persons: Rachel Norstrant, Mark Heinrich Our Organizations: PHOENIX, LAS VEGAS, DALLAS, Texas, M, Service, ROSWELL, NEW, Thomson Locations: The Arizona, Las Vegas, Central, West Texas, NEW MEXICO, Roswell, CALIFORNIA, Death, New York

Search resuls for: "M Forest Service"

10 mentions found