Xcel Energy, an electric and gas company operating in the predominantly rural Texas Panhandle, has acknowledged that its facilities appear to have been involved in the ignition of the Smokehouse Creek fire, which has become the largest wildfire on record in Texas history. The blaze, which began last week, has burned more than one million acres, led to two deaths, and killed thousands of cattle and other livestock.
State investigators from the Texas A&M Forest Service concluded that power lines were responsible for igniting both the Smokehouse Creek fire and another blaze known as the Windy Deuce fire, which burned around the same time and destroyed homes in the town of Fritch last month, according to The New York Times. The Smokehouse Creek fire is currently 74 percent contained, but strong winds could make firefighting efforts more challenging in the coming days.
Although Xcel Energy has acknowledged the potential role of its infrastructure in starting the Smokehouse Creek fire, the company disputes claims that it was negligent in operating its equipment. "Xcel does not believe that its facilities caused the ignition of the Windy Deuce fire," the company stated in a press release on Thursday.
Some landowners in the affected areas have already accused Xcel Energy of being responsible for the fire. Melanie Lee McQuiddy, a homeowner in Hemphill County, filed a lawsuit against the utility company last week, claiming that her home was burned in the blaze due to the company's negligence. According to her lawsuit, the fire began when "a wooden pole defendants failed to properly inspect, maintain, and replace, splintered, and snapped off at its base" near Stinnett, Texas, during high winds on Feb. 26.
The lawsuit names Xcel Energy, a subsidiary, and Osmose Utility Services, a company hired to provide maintenance on the power lines, as defendants. It argues that the companies' failure to properly inspect and maintain the utility lines and poles was the "proximate cause of the fire." Mike Adams, the chief executive of Osmose, stated that the company is taking the allegations "extremely seriously" and has launched its own investigation.
Salem Abraham, an investment manager in Canadian, Texas, whose 3,500 acres of hay land were almost entirely burned during the Smokehouse Creek fire, is preparing a lawsuit against Xcel Energy along with other landowners. He believes that the aging utility poles installed in the middle of the last century have contributed to an increase in the number of fires over the last few decades.
"It's the destructive combination of high wind and 80-year-old electric components that have passed their useful life," Abraham said. "It's a problem that the nation needs to understand and needs to fix."
Several large fires in recent years have been caused by electric utilities' equipment. Xcel Energy has been accused of causing a fire in Colorado in 2021, though the company denies responsibility.
The Smokehouse Creek fire has not only devastated the landscape and wildlife of the Texas Panhandle but has also spelled potential economic ruin for farmers and ranchers whose land was scorched, as reported by CNN. Around 500 homes and structures have been destroyed by the five blazes tearing across the region, according to state officials.
As residents sift through the destruction of their homes and livelihoods, Xcel Energy CEO Bob Frenzel expressed the company's condolences and commitment to supporting the community's renewal and recovery. "The people in this region are our friends, neighbors and relatives," Frenzel said. "We are deeply saddened by the losses incurred in this community, and we are committed to supporting its renewal and recovery."
As the investigation into the cause of the Smokehouse Creek fire continues and landowners pursue legal action against Xcel Energy, the devastating impact of this record-breaking wildfire serves as a stark reminder of the need for improved infrastructure maintenance and wildfire prevention measures in the face of changing climate conditions.
