Texas Nuclear Weapons Facility Halts Activities as Wildfires Extend.

Under 100 Words: A Compact Summary

Wildfires in the Texas Panhandle led to evacuations, a nuclear facility shut down, and a disaster declaration for 60 counties. Pantex ceased operations, and multiple towns evacuated. Fires also impacted neighboring states (Texas Nuclear Weapons Facility).

• Evacuation orders were issued for small towns in Texas on Tuesday as swiftly spreading wildfires forced the shutdown of a nuclear facility.
• The blaze was intensified by strong winds, dry grass, and unusually warm temperatures in the rural Panhandle region of the state (Texas Nuclear Weapons Facility).
• The primary facility responsible for assembling and disassembling America’s nuclear arsenal halted its operations on Tuesday night in Texas due to nearby wildfires that were raging out of control. Pantex released an online statement indicating that operations had been temporarily suspended until further notice.
• Republican Governor Greg Abbott declared a disaster for 60 counties as the largest fire in Texas, burning nearly 400 square miles (1,040 square kilometers), according to the Texas A&M Forest Service, more than doubled in size since it started on Monday.
• The authorities have not disclosed the cause of the blaze, which swept through sparsely populated counties surrounded by rolling plains (Texas Nuclear Weapons Facility).
• Governor Abbott urged Texans to minimize activities that could generate sparks and to take precautions to ensure the safety of their loved ones (Texas Nuclear Weapons Facility).
• The largest fire, named the Smokehouse Creek Fire, had shut down highways and remained uncontained, standing at 0% containment as of Tuesday afternoon, according to the Forest Service.
• Laef Pendergraft, a spokesperson for the National Nuclear Security Administration’s Production Office at Pantex, stated during a news conference on Tuesday night, “We have evacuated our personnel, non-essential personnel from the site, just in an abundance of caution. But we do have a well-equipped fire department that has trained for these scenarios, that is on-site and watching and ready should any kind of real emergency arise on the plant site.”
• Pantex has been the main assembly and disassembly site for the U.S. atomic bombs since 1975. The facility assembled the last new bomb in 1991 and has since dismantled thousands of weapons (Texas Nuclear Weapons Facility).
• Pantex is situated approximately 17 miles (27.36 kilometers) northeast of Amarillo and around 320 miles (515 kilometers) northwest of Dallas.

• Numerous fires were reported in Hemphill and Hutchinson counties near the Oklahoma border, leading to evacuation orders.
• Texas state Senator Kevin Sparks mentioned an evacuation order for the town of Canada, which has a population of about 2,000 and is situated approximately 100 miles (160 kilometers) northeast of Amarillo, along with other areas.
• Later on Tuesday, the Hemphill County Sheriff’s Office advised those remaining in Canada to either shelter in place or at the high school gym due to road closures (Texas Nuclear Weapons Facility).
• Evacuations were also mandated in the nearby town of Miami, and schools in both Canada and Miami announced closures for Wednesday. East of Canada, fire officials in the Durham, Oklahoma area, just across the border, also encouraged people to evacuate due to the advancing fire.
• Evacuations were also happening in Skellytown, Wheeler, Allison, and Briscoe, according to the National Weather Service in Amarillo (Texas Nuclear Weapons Facility).
• About 40 miles (64 kilometers) southwest of Canada, city officials in Pampa on Facebook suggested that residents evacuate to the south and said buses were available. Officials said personnel were still fighting the fire Tuesday night but that residents of Pampa could return home. “They were able to get the fire stopped north of town,” as reported by weather service officials on X, formerly known as Twitter.
• To the west, residents in at least some parts of the small city of Fritch in Hutchinson County were instructed to leave their homes on Tuesday afternoon due to another fire that had crossed a highway. “Everything south of Highway 146 in Fritch, evacuate now!” declared city officials on Facebook.
• Hutchinson County emergency management officials and those in the nearby city of Borger, which had also undergone evacuation, shared on Facebook locations where evacuees could find shelter in both cities on Tuesday night (Texas Nuclear Weapons Facility).
• They mentioned the challenges of coordinating their response due to numerous ongoing fires in the county, making it “extremely hard” to keep everyone informed on the front lines.
• The Facebook post stated, “We have areas without power, water, and active burning. Pray for the safety of all involved. And pack your go bag just in case. That is the best information we know how to provide right now.”
• By Tuesday evening, the fires were situated 20 to 25 miles (32 to 40 kilometers) from Amarillo, with the wind carrying wildfire smoke into the city (Texas Nuclear Weapons Facility). This could potentially impact individuals with respiratory issues, as noted by weather service officials.
• The National Weather Service issued red flag warnings and fire danger alerts for several states across the midsection of the country. High winds exceeding 40 mph (64 kph), along with warm temperatures, low humidity, and dry winter vegetation, created conditions conducive to wildfires.
• In central Nebraska, officials reported that a prairie fire, sparked by a mower, had burned a substantial area of grassland, approximately the size of the state’s largest city, Omaha.

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