Wildfires are scorching the Texas panhandle. What landmarks are in their paths?
Several wildfires are ravaging the Texas panhandle, burning more than a million acres of land — almost the size of the Grand Canyon — northeast of Amarillo, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.
Fire crews are continuing efforts to contain and eliminate the five main wildfires scorching the region, but as they work, more and more land is being threatened. Homes, businesses and other landmarks have already been destroyed, and more may burn as wildfires spread.
So, what's in danger of being burned? Here are some major landmarks in the fires' paths that may be at risk of destruction:
Where are the wildfires in Texas? Map shows extent of devastation
Mesa Vista Ranch
The Mesa Vista Ranch, which spans over 100 square miles in Pampa, less than 60 miles northeast of Amarillo, is among the properties at risk of sustaining significant damage from the fires. The property was once owned by legendary Texas businessman Boone Pickens, who constructed a series of man-made streams and lakes on the property and turned it into a haven for quail hunting, according to the website of the real estate company that recently sold the property.
The Grape Vine Creek Fire has burned about 30,000 acres in Gray County, where Pampa is located. The fire was 60% contained as of Wednesday afternoon.
The Citadelle Art Museum & Mansion
Located in Canadian, Texas, where dozens of fires are burning, is the Citadelle Art Museum & Mansion, a landmark that was built in 1910 as the First Baptist Church. The property includes 8,000 square feet of floor space and eccentric gardens that feature noteworthy architecture and sculptures, according to the museum's website.
The Citadelle Art Museum & Mansion is listed as one of the top attractions to visit in Canadian by Tripadvisor.
Over one million acres destroyed: Track wildfires in real-time in the Texas panhandle
Hemphill County Airport
Hemphill County airport, a pair of small landing strips owned by the county in Canadian, is in the path of the Smokehouse Creek wildfire, the largest in Texas' history. The airport is currently operational, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, but the airport's listed status may be inaccurate or incomplete based on the wildfire's quick-moving nature.
Historical Big Springs
A historical site featuring a collection of springs in Lefors, Texas, is at risk of being scorched by the Grape Vine Creek wildfire, which has burned about 30,000 acres and is currently 60% contained, according to reports.
The Big Springs site was named a historic location in 2006 by the Texas Historical Commission. It served as a significant campground for Native Americans and U.S. military forces, according to a marker erected at the location.
Adobe Walls Battle Ground
The site of a major battle between around 700 Native Americans from the Comanche, Cheyenne and Kiowa Indian tribes and 28 Texas frontiersmen is about a mile away from the origin of the Smokehouse Creek fire in Stinnett, Texas, according to data from the Wildland Fire Interagency Geospatial Service, the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre and the NOAA Office of Satellite and Product Operations.
A marker at the site honors the frontiersmen and was erected by the Panhandle Plains Historical Society.
More: These are largest, deadliest and most destructive wildfires in Texas, US history
The intersection from "Cast Away"
At the end of the movie "Cast Away," the character Chuck Noland, played by Tom Hanks, stands at a "metaphorical and literal crossroads in his life," according to Atlas Obscura. The literal crossroads in the movie is an actual intersection near Mobeetie, Texas, an area on the southern portion of the gigantic Smokehouse Creek wildfire.
Though the site only comprises two roads (more specifically, where they meet and cross each other), wildfires in the Texas panhandle have already caused untold destruction to anything in their paths.
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Historic Texas wildfires threaten landmarks. See what's in the path
