A fast-moving wildfire in the Texas Panhandle burned through homes and a railroad bridge near the city of Canyon this week, forcing evacuations before firefighters were able to halt its spread.
The Hunggate Fire broke out on Thursday evening on the south-western edge of Canyon, in Randall County, after a passing storm produced strong winds and lightning rather than significant rain. Several fires ignited in the area around Farm-to-Market Road 1714 and Hunggate Road.
Driven by high winds, the fire spread rapidly, scorching more than 14,000 acres and destroying at least three homes, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service. A railroad bridge was burned and partially collapsed, halting train traffic on a line that runs toward Chicago.
Authorities ordered a mandatory evacuation for residents in the path of the fire and directed them to the Cole Community Center in Canyon. The evacuation orders were lifted on Thursday evening after crews stopped the fire’s forward progress.
By Friday morning the Hunggate Fire was about 30% contained. Crews remained on site to assess damage and guard against flare-ups in dry, windy conditions.
The blaze was one of several wildfires reported across the southern Plains this week, with new large fires also recorded in New Mexico, Oklahoma and elsewhere in Texas as warm, gusty weather raised the danger.