GEOFF BENNETT: Firefighters are making
some progress against the Texas wildfires. But the fires are not yet contained. And
across the Texas Panhandle, concerns are mounting about the cost of rebuilding. Many
of the losses won't be covered by insurance. Stephanie Sy has our report
on the long road ahead. STEPHANIE SY: The largest wildfire in
the state's history continues to spread across the Texas Panhandle, leaving
behind devastation, crop destruction, dead livestock, leveled buildings and
houses. In Fritch, Texas, home to roughly 2,000 residents,
Angela and Shane Grisham lost their house, pets and belongings. They didn't have time to
save much of anything, except their five kids. SHANE GRISHAM, Wildfire Victim: We had about 20
minutes to get out of there. As we were packing, doing our thing, just throwing things, is
what we could get in the trunk of a car, it just started raining down, just burning
ash and the smoke came across the front yard. So I told my wife, I said:
"W
e have to go now. Like, there's -- that's it. That's all we can get." STEPHANIE SY: With only
the clothes on their backs, they took shelter in a motel
before getting into an Airbnb. SHANE GRISHAM: I want to say it was two
days later when they finally let us in, because there was still some stuff burning
here and there. And we got back to the house, and then checked on it, and we saw the
property and completely just leveled. STEPHANIE SY: In just over a week, wildfires have
burned more than
1.3 million acres in the Texas Panhandle, the Smokehouse Creek Fire, the largest,
only 37 percent contained as of this morning. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but a new lawsuit filed by a Texan who lost
her home in the Smokehouse Fire alleges a splintered power pole operated
by Xcel Energy started the blaze. Laurie Brown is publisher and
editor of The Canadian Record. LAURIE EZZELL BROWN, Publisher and Editor,
The Canadian Record: We know that what caused the pole to dr
op and all of that is going to be
argued about, I'm sure, for months, if not years. STEPHANIE SY: Brown has lived
in Canadian most of her life, a city of roughly 2,300 people
near the Oklahoma state line. LAURIE EZZELL BROWN: I have never
seen anything like this. I mean, we have had wildfires before,
and pretty devastating ones, but the extent of the damage here is
profound. It looks apocalyptic to me. JOHN JULIAN, Resident of Canadian,
Texas: We were some of the ones that did not get eva
cuated out of
town. We ended up sitting on the courthouse parking lot and pretty
much watched the world burn down. STEPHANIE SY: John Julian owns a
water well business in Canadian that services local ranchers and farmers. JOHN JULIAN: They're reporting over
80 to 100 homes lost in the immediate Canadian and surrounding area. The
loss of cattle and horses is in the thousands and thousands. It's devastating
and something I have never seen in my life. STEPHANIE SY: With over 85 percent of Tex
as'
cattle population located in the Panhandle, the blazes are wreaking havoc on
the region's agricultural economy. Officials estimate more than
3,600 animals have died to date. CHANCE BOWERS, Ranch Operator:
We have about a little over 1,000 cows here. As you can see behind
us, we're picking up beds today. STEPHANIE SY: In Skellytown, Texas, ranch operator Chance Bowers says it will
take weeks to know how much he's lost. CHANCE BOWERS: This pasture we're standing in, there was a -- there
was 93 cows
in it, and there's six left. STEPHANIE SY: As residents try to
cope, volunteers from across Texas are trying to see to it that no one
goes it alone in the Lone Star State. RAND JENKINS, Texans on Mission: Our
command center is -- it's a mobile trailer that has its own Wi-Fi
and electricity and everything. STEPHANIE SY: Rand Jenkins is with Texans on
Mission, a Dallas-based Christian ministry that specializes in disaster relief. They
have dozens of volunteers on the ground. RAN
D JENKINS: We are with homeowners the
last time they're going to see their house. We sit down next to them and we scoop
a bucket of ash, pour it over a screen, and just sift through, hoping to find
important memorable items, and just sit with them and listen to their story and be a
sponge for the pain that they're going through STEPHANIE SY: The Grisham family's
story is unfolding a day at a time. ANGELA GRISHAM, Wildfire Victim: We're
just trying to take it moment by moment. We're trying
not to rush the process,
just to keep our anxiety levels down and just trying to save up some money,
so we can be ready when our property is clear of debris and when we can rebuild
and maybe get a loan for a new place. STEPHANIE SY: As crews assault the fire
from the air with water and fire retardants, there's hope in coming days, with rain
expected in the Panhandle later this week. For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Stephanie Sy.
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