Amarillo Area OEM gives updates on wildfire efforts with Potter, Randall County

The Amarillo Area Office of Emergency Management held a news conference Wednesday afternoon to update residents of Amarillo and the surrounding areas about the impact of the multiple fires burning in the Texas Panhandle.

Max Dunlap, the director of OEM for Amarillo, spoke about the efforts his office has coordinated with Potter and Randall counties since the activation of the center on Feb. 26 due to a major fire in the region.

“We began working together and coordinating resources to push out through Potter, Randall and our partner counties as well," Dunlap said.

According to Dunlap, the Windy Deuce fire, which is still active, had moved into northern Potter County and had burned about 90,000 acres with 25% containment.

“We are still fighting that fire, currently engaged on the south side of Highway 136 within Potter County,” Dunlap said. “They are trying to establish a line around the head of the fire, actively trying to stop forward movement at this time. The terrain is rough, so it makes for a hard fight. The sheer ability of our firefighters locally to do what they did over the last 48 hours is extreme. For them to actively respond in zero visibility conditions, as well as pitch dark and rough terrain and continue to make as much progress as they have now, is a testament to what first responders in the Panhandle can do. They do need to be applauded for that."

Dunlap said the fire came close enough to threatening areas of the northeast part of the city, leading to an evacuation of the Mesilla Park subdivision late Tuesday. The city initially established an evacuation center at River Road High School, but with fires still not under control, people were routed to the Warford Center around 10 p.m. At 2:30 a.m., with conditions changing, the evacuation order was rescinded for the area, with people allowed to return to their homes.

According to Dunlap, citizens can start filling out damage assessments for any damage caused by area fires.

“Due to the amount of damage done from this fire, we are asking that citizens of Potter or Randall County who have suffered damage to their property complete a damage assessment form online at https://damage.tdem.texas.gov/,” Dunlap added.

Ryan Neusch of Pantex updated the status of the Pantex Plant near the area of the fires. He said that nonessential plant members were evacuated Tuesday night, leaving its first responders to combat fires if needed.

“None of the fire crossed our boundaries; we were prepared, and we are trained in the event it happened, but through the efforts of our surrounding communities, that was unnecessary,” Neusch said.

Neusch said that while Pantex remains vigilant in case of fire endangering its facility, the plant is back to normal operations. He stated that the fire at its closest point was about four miles from Pantex.

Giving updates from the National Weather Service, JoAnn Culin, the warning coordinator meteorologist for the National Weather Service Amarillo office, gave an update on the weather, stating that a cold front that came through last night affected some of the fires. She said currently, the wind has died down, but it will not subside for long. According to Culin, moisture will move through until Thursday morning, with a slight possibility of rainfall or snow.

“These rainfall amounts may provide a little relief for current fires but will not provide any wetting ground for anything in the future,” Culin said. “We will continue to dry out toward the weekend; the cool weather we are experiencing will not last long, and the temperatures will get back into the seventies.”

She said that winds will increase over the weekend and will be monitored for another weekend of widespread critical fire danger across the Texas Panhandle, with a couple of days of red flag warnings issued for the area. Wind speeds will be sustained at 20 to 30 miles per hour, with gusts of up to 40 to 50 miles per hour.

Cullin stressed that residents should remain vigilant and take caution about anything that could result in a spark.

According to Dunlap, multiple assets have been sent from local counties and states to combat the fires while the OEM will continue monitoring the Windy Deuce Fire north of Amarillo.

“Being in public service and public safety in the Panhandle is different than anywhere else I have ever served in this country,” he said. “The first responders have a special passion for their neighbors, for their property, and for their safety of life. Some of the first responders here are unmatched. They have fought long and hard and will continue to fight relentlessly until the job is done.”

He said that if people want to donate nonperishable items such as bottled water, Potter County Fire is taking donations at Station #5, 2301 East Willow Creek. Dunlap recommended that if people want to help, they can volunteer with a vetted organization such as VOAD (Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster), the Red Cross, or the Community Emergency Response Team.

This article originally appeared on Amarillo Globe-News: Amarillo Area OEM updates on Potter County areas impacted by wildfire