Greg Abbott Suspends Laws as Texas Grapples With Devastating Wildfires

An aerial view of where the Smokehouse Creek was prevented from reaching the outskirts of Borger, Texas through prescribed fire lines on February 28, 2024 and, inset, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott seen on June 8, 2023. On Thursday, Abbott waived certain rules to expedite a statewide response to its largest wildfire ever.

Texas Governor Greg Abbott has suspended certain laws and regulations to aid the ongoing statewide response to massive wildfires that broke out earlier this week and have since ripped across a vast swathe of land.

Late on Thursday night, the governor’s office announced that Abbott had granted temporary waivers to some environmental, motoring and public safety measures to ease the work of emergency responders tasked with dealing with the blazes.

“By removing barriers to help Texans swiftly respond to this crisis, we will be able to serve more communities across our state that are being affected by these devastating wildfires,” he said. “Texas state agencies are working around-the-clock to provide the necessary resources our communities need in this time of crisis.”

There are currently four large, active wildfires in the Texas panhandle that have sparked evacuations, destroyed infrastructure and burned through neighborhoods. The fires have been spurred on by warm temperatures and strong winds.

The largest is the Smokehouse Creek fire, which began on Monday and has now become the largest in the state’s history and the second largest ever in the U.S.

The Texas A&M Forest Service said in its most recent update that the fire now spanned nearly 1.1 million acres, including 25,000 acres in Oklahoma, and was five percent contained. Fire crews are currently focusing their efforts on the northern edge of the blaze and areas near structures.

While the fire saw no growth on Thursday due to rain, it has merged with a smaller wildfire, called the Reamer Fire, which was 2,000 acres on its own.

The other active wildfires in the region are the Grape Vine Creek fire, in Gray County, which currently stands at 30,000 acres and is 60 percent contained; the Windy Deuce fire, in Moore County, which spans 142,000 acres and is 30 percent contained; and the Magenta fire in Oldham County, which is around 3,300 acres and is 85 percent contained.

According to CBS News, at least two people have so far died as a direct result of the bush fires: Cindy Owen, who was badly burned after her car was surrounded by fire, and 83-year-old Joyce Blankenship, who died when the Smokehouse Creek fire enveloped the town of Stinnett, where she lived.

The blazes prompted Abbott on Tuesday to declare a disaster for 60 counties “to ensure critical fire response resources are swiftly deployed to areas in the Texas Panhandle being impacted by devastating wildfires.” The following day, he approved the deployment of additional state resources and drafted in Federal Emergency Management Agency resources.

His waivers include environmental quality legislation concerning the disposal of animal carcasses, vehicle registration permits including those traveling interstate, and rules concerning additional working hours for emergency responders.

Officials cautioned that the suspensions were limited to the duration of the disaster and restricted to the counties listed in the disaster declaration, and that the waivers were only to be used in the service of the response and recovery efforts.

Despite recent rainfall, the situation could yet worsen as dry, windy conditions return. Abbott’s office warned: “Over the course of the next several days, the potential for wildfire activity will increase for the Plains.”

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