A Texas House of Representatives committee tasked with investigating deadly wildfires in the Panhandle ruled that the most destructive blazes were caused by power lines that “had not been effectively maintained or replaced by a utility provider and an oil and gas operator.”
The five-member investigative committee, created by House Speaker Dade Phelan in March, released their findings in an initial interim report Wednesday. It provided recommendations to decrease the risk of future disasters. The members included state Rep. Ken King (R-Canadian), Rep. Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock), landowner Jason Abraham, Rep. Todd Hunter (R-Corpus Christi) and landowner James Henderson.
The Smokehouse Creek fire sparked Feb. 26 in Hutchinson County near Stinnett and quickly became the largest wildfire in state history. The fires burned over a million acres in the Texas Panhandle.