Phil Helsel is a reporter for NBC News.
The largest wildfire in Texas state history was caused by a power line after a pole that “appeared to be decayed at the base” fell into a grassy area, a Texas A&M Forest Service investigator concluded in a report released Friday. The Smokehouse Creek Fire has burned more than 1 million acres in the Texas Panhandle since it broke out on Feb. 26 near the small town of Stinnett.
A lawsuit filed by a homeowner last week against Xcel Energy Services, Southwestern Public Service Company and Osmose Utility Services claimed they “failed to properly inspect, maintain, and replace” the pole that fell. The Smokehouse Creek Fire has burned 1,058,482 acres and was 87% contained Friday, the Texas A&M Forest Service said. A power line also caused another of the wildfires in the Panhandle, the Windy Deuce Fire, the forest service said. That fire was reported at 6:23 p.m. on Feb.
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