Texas House Committee Investigation Reveals Cause of Largest Wildfire in State’s History

Fires in the Texas Panhandle on Feb. 28, 2024. Greenville Fire-Rescue via AP

A Texas House of Representatives committee has ruled that the deadly Panhandle wildfires were caused by power poles and lines that “had not been effectively maintained or replaced by a utility provider and an oil and gas provider,” according to the report.

The five-member committee released its findings in a 48-page interim report on Wednesday. The committee included state Reps. Ken King (R-Canadian), Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock), and Rep. Todd Hunter (R-Corpus Christi), along with landowners Jason Abraham and James Henderson.

The committee also found that a lack of readily available resources and effective communications equipment hindered efforts to contain the Smokehouse Creek fire and others that devastated the Panhandle earlier this year.

“Although volunteer firefighters fought valiantly to contain the wildfires, response efforts were inhibited by a lack of properly positioned, readily available, and timely dispatched air support on top of ineffective communication and coordination among agencies, local governments, and responders due in part to communications equipment that lacked interoperability,” the committee wrote.

The Smokehouse Creek fire ignited on Feb. 26 in Hutchison and quickly spread 95 miles, burning more than 1 million acres before it was contained. The wildfire burned across several counties, destroying more than 130 homes, barns, and other structures, killing two people, and destroying more than 15,000 head of cattle, according to the report.

In early March, Minnesota-based utility provider Xcel Energy said in a statement that its equipment appeared to have played a role in sparking the Smokehouse Creek fire but disputed claims that it had acted negligently.

The Smokehouse Creek Fire was one of four major wildfires that scorched the region in late February.  The second largest was the Windy Deuce fire, which was also started the same day and burned about 140,000 acres. Both fires were 100 percent contained by March 16, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.

Three days of hearings were held in Pampa, during which the committee heard from several witnesses, including Xcel representatives, volunteer firefighters, and state and local officials.

Xcel vendor Osmose Utility Service, which inspected the utility pole in late January and designated it a “priority one replacement,” did not participate in the hearings.

“In a letter dated April 11, 2024, Osmose offered its ’sincere apology' for not participating in the hearings but failed to provide an explanation for its absence,” the report said. “It is sorely disappointing that a key fact witness elected not to participate in the public hearings.”

Contributing Factors and Recommendations

Committee members found the Smokehouse Creek and Reamer Creek fires were sparked by downed power poles owned by Xcel.

The committee wrote in the report that “the pole identified as the cause of the Smokehouse Creek Fire suffered from decay.”

Xcel President Adrian Rodriguez testified that Osmose contacted the utility company on Feb. 9 to notify them that the pole needed to be replaced.

“The replacement was not completed before the high winds later in the month caused the pole to fall,” according to the report.

The committee found a significant correlation between high winds and electrical system failures, highlighting a need for improved resiliency planning.

“It is worth noting that while the legislature recently passed legislation incentivizing more resiliency planning, Texas does little to regulate the inspection, maintenance, and replacement schedules of utility poles in the state,” the committee wrote.  “Utilities are able to establish their own programs in accordance with budgets and other company priorities.”

Flower Mound firefighters respond to a fire in the Texas Panhandle on Feb. 27, 2024. Flower Mound Fire Department via AP

The committee recommended a statewide communication systems upgrade, including modernization of the current systems, is “essential.”

“Texas has seen significant investments in its communications systems; however, as testimony revealed, connecting the various communication technologies being utilized by the many different agencies and departments on the scene was difficult and frustrated the response effort,“ according to the report. ”Communications were conducted over a wide variety of channels and frequencies, leading to inoperable and disparate communication silos.”

The committee pointed out that volunteer fire departments (“VFDs”), which the Panhandle region largely relies on, are “grossly underfunded, making it virtually impossible for them to obtain the equipment and resources needed to fight wildfires of this magnitude safely and effectively.”

Under a bill passed in the early 2000s, VFDs can make grant requests, but individual grant payments and the number of payments distributed are capped at $30 million.

“The committee recommends that the legislature make an appropriation to fully fund the $172 million in pending but unfunded House Bill 2604 grant requests,“ the committee said. ”As part of this recommendation, the legislature should consider amending the laws governing the Rural Volunteer Fire Department Assistance Program to raise or remove the existing $30 million cap.”

They also suggested reevaluating the grant program metrics and establishing a new grant program for smaller VFDs.