Today marks the one-year anniversary of the start of the Smokehouse Creek Fire, the largest wildfire ever recorded in Texas. The fire burned nearly 1.1 million acres, destroying over one hundred homes and killing two people and 15,000 cattle and causing $123 million in agricultural losses.
Alarmingly, the National Interagency Fire Center reports high wildfire risk again in Texas. Drought and above normal temperatures and winds are creating elevated fire weather across much of the state. Yesterday, Governor Abbott directed the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) to activate “state wildfire response resources in anticipation of increased wildfire danger expected across West Texas mid-week.”
March 2025 forecast from National Interagency Fire CenterPhoto by National Interagency Fire Center | Public Domain
As the state grows, more and more housing is being built in or near wooded areas. The Texas Forest Service estimates 14,500 communities are at risk. Texas has the third-highest number of homes at a moderate or higher risk of wildfires, just behind California and Colorado” with nearly 250,000 homes in wildfire risk zones, with a combined reconstruction cost value of $88.4 billion.
At the same time, climate change is exacerbating wildfires, intensifying their frequency and severity while heightening the risk of extreme weather events in prone regions. According to Climate Central, Texas and the broader southwest region has experienced a surge in fire-prone days, with fire weather days increasing by 37 since the 1970s, now totaling to 55 fire-prone weather days annually.
According to the Texas Forest Service, “between Jan. 1, 2005, and Dec. 31, 2022, a total of 231,253 wildfires burned 12,454,769 acres across the state of Texas.” These have led to dozens of fatalities and billions of dollars in property damage. We’ve also lost important natural areas, such as the “Lost Pines” of Bastrop State Park, which was 95% destroyed in a 2011 fire.
Overlooking the scorched pine forests within Bastrop State Park post fire-containment.Photo by Chase Fountain, Texas Parks and Wildlife | Public Domain
Communities near or downwind of fire-prone areas in Texas also face significant health risks from smoke-induced air pollution–a problem set to worsen as wildfires become more frequent and intense. Air around these wildfires become dangerously toxic, containing vaporized plastics, electronics, building materials, house paints and harmful chemicals. Poor air quality and particle pollution–caused by airborne particles from burnt materials–have been linked to respiratory illness, cardiovascular diseases, and even death. UH estimates that fire-induced particulate matter causes 65 premature deaths each year in Houston.
While forest management practices grounded in science are an important wildfire prevention method, it’s clear we can’t log our way out of forest fires, even as some in Congress have proposed.
Instead we need to build homes with wildfires in mind, including require use fire-resistant materials in new construction and clearing brush and trees around properties, as Austin has done in its Wildland-Urban Interface code. San Antonio, which is also at high risk, “launched a program in which neighborhoods can request a vegetative fuel assessment conducted by the San Antonio Fire Department.” We also need to encourage housing development within our cities and reduce the number of homes being built in fire-prone areas.
Cities can take additional steps to enhance wildfire preparedness. In collaboration with the city, the Austin Fire Department developed a real-time online map to track fire hydrant repairs and ensure that all hydrants undergo annual inspections– totaling over 30,000 each year. This initiative is critical as inadequate water supply and pressure hindered firefighting efforts during the recent Los Angeles wildfire. Likewise, Austin Energy has increased vegetation mitigation near power lines and advanced AI technology to monitor potential wildfires, reducing the risk of fire ignition.
Powerline stability is a significant cause for concern with increasingly dry conditions. Between 2016 and 2020, electrical power networks caused 19% of the wildfires that occurred in those five years. The Smokehouse Creek fire ignited from a downed transmission line coming into contact with the dried grasses below. Unfortunately, state regulators claim they don’t have oversight authority to inspect utility poles or hold oilfield operators accountable for faulty power equipment that could cause fires, which the Legislature should quickly rectify.
Senator Kevin Sparks introduced a package of legislation in January to boost funding for rural volunteer fire departments and firefighting aircraft.
In conclusion, the one-year anniversary of the Smokehouse Creek Fire serves as a stark reminder of the growing wildfire risk in Texas, exacerbated by climate change and urban expansion into fire-prone areas. The devastating impact of this fire and the ongoing threat posed by droughts, high winds, and record temperatures demand a proactive response. Communities and policymakers must prioritize wildfire prevention through better land management, stricter building codes, and enhanced firefighting capabilities. We also must take action to cut global warming pollution, which the State Climatologist projects will continue to make wildfires in Texas worse.
As Texas faces an increasingly volatile wildfire future, it is clear that immediate, comprehensive action is essential to protect lives, property, and the environment from the growing threat of devastating fires.
