Texas firefighters battling massive Panhandle wildfires, including second largest in state’s history

Sign up for The Brief, The Texas Tribune’s daily newsletter that keeps readers up to speed on the most essential Texas news. LUBBOCK — Firefighters are still working to extinguish five raging wildfires in the Texas Panhandle that have already collectively burned nearly 575,000 acres, an amount of land that's roughly 40% larger than Houston, the nation's fourth most populous city. The Smokehouse Creek fire, which started Monday afternoon, grew from 100,000 to 500,000 acres within 24 hours, according to Texas A&M Forest Service.