Articles by Jayme Lozano-Carver, The Texas Tribune

Texas Panhandle Prepares for State’s Next Big Wildfire

LUBBOCK — Spring rains have revived much of the green grass covering stretches of plains in the Texas Panhandle — the same land that, just three months ago, was black from fire and ash after wildfires burned more than 1 …

Decayed, Broken Utility Pole Caused Largest Wildfire in Texas History: Report

LUBBOCK — A decayed utility pole that broke, causing power wires to fall on dry grass in the Texas Panhandle, sparked the state’s largest wildfire in history, a Texas House committee confirmed Wednesday. And other poorly maintained power equipment sparked …

Bird Flu is Another Blow to ‘Cattle Country’ Following Wildfires

LUBBOCK — Cows in the Texas Panhandle have tested positive for the bird flu, another blow to the Texas dairy industry following historic wildfires that killed at least 7,000 livestock. The discovery, reported at three different dairies, is believed to …

West Texas Ranchers Face Losses After Historic Wildfires

LUBBOCK — There are burned spots on Jay O’Brien’s ranch outside Stinnett that predate the Smokehouse Creek fire. Over the last several months, small fires — ones that weren’t pushed by strong winds or grew out of control — scarred …

Texas Firefighters Completely Contain Panhandle Wildfire

LUBBOCK — Firefighters have completely contained the Smokehouse Creek fire in Hutchinson County after a nearly three-week battle with what quickly became the largest wildfire in Texas history. That inferno and a series of other wildfires killed at least two …

Texas Committee to Investigate Panhandle Wildfires

LUBBOCK — Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan is creating a legislative committee to investigate the Texas Panhandle wildfires to ensure the state is prepared for future disasters. His Tuesday announcement comes more than two weeks after the deadly infernos first …

Texas Firefighters Make Progress Containing Panhandle Wildfires

LUBBOCK — Texas firefighters are gaining more control over the remaining wildfires in the Panhandle, more than two weeks after the infernos first engulfed large swaths of the region and burned more than 1 million acres. As of Monday, the …

Xcel Energy Acknowledges Role in Texas Panhandle Wildfire

Xcel Energy on Thursday acknowledged its involvement in the Smokehouse Creek Fire, which started last week and quickly became the largest wildfire in state history, burning more than 1 million acres. “Based on currently available information, Xcel Energy acknowledges that …

Wildfires Forces Texas Panhandle Residents to Shelter in Place

Officials have ordered nearly 5,000 residents in the Panhandle cities of Canadian, Fritch and Glazier to shelter in place Tuesday as four separate wildfires engulfed the region, burning more than 280,000 acres. Residents in Hemphill County, where Canadian is, were …

Lubbock, Texas to Vote on Marijuana Despite Attorney General Lawsuit

LUBBOCK — An effort to decriminalize possession of small amounts of marijuana in Lubbock is moving forward, despite Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton suing five cities this week for doing the same. Lubbock Compact, the organization behind the proposed initiative, …