What is the situation now?

Sixty counties in Texas have already declared natural disasters. Rapidly spreading forest fires caused the evacuation of many cities.

One of the fires broke out in the immediate vicinity of the Pantex plant, the main facility that assembles and disassembles the United States’ nuclear arsenal and also stores warheads in its warehouses. This resulted in the suspension of work until further orders.

The fire near Pantex could not be taken under control. Liquidation efforts turned into evacuation. There are a small number of secondary personnel in shelters on the territory of the facility,
– the company wrote on Twitter.

Pantex’s main facilities are located 30 miles east of Amarillo, where the 6,500-hectare site has been the main assembly and dismantling point for U.S. nuclear bombs since 1975. The last bomb was built here in 1991, after which the facility dedicated itself to destroying old bombs in the country’s arsenal.

Fires and their causes

Although the exact cause of the fires is unknown, authorities state that they were caused by fire. “Hot and dry conditions caused by high temperatures and windy weather”Fires that may continue in the coming days may make the fires larger and more dangerous.

Some of the fires have already reached historic proportions; destroyed houses and killed animals. The largest of these, called the “Smokehouse Creek Fire” and located in Hutchinson County, has been burning since it broke out on Monday, February 26. More than 200,000 hectares of pasture In the Panhandle region of Texas. Overnight, the area of ​​the fire grew rapidly, becoming the second largest fire in the state’s history.

Scientists are waiting for this Extreme forest fires will occur more frequently due to climate changeThis not only increases the risk of fire, but also prolongs the duration of the fire. Research shows that fire danger will be higher in warm climates, even in winter.