An investigation into Texas’s largest wildfire in history has released its final findings and recommendations into the causes of the fires and what should be done to prevent and respond to future incidents.
The House Investigative Committee on the Panhandle Wildfires was created by Speaker Dade Phelan in March to conduct hearings and investigate what caused the wildfires, the effectiveness of the response, and make recommendations on how to improve preparedness and response in the future.
The Committee consisted of 5 members: Representative Ken King (Chair), Representative Dustin Burrows, Representative Todd Hunter, Jason Abraham, and Ashley Cash.
Between April 2nd and April 4th, the Committee held hearings in Pampa, a town in the Panhandle, with representatives from various state agencies, private companies, impacted residents, and other experts.
On May 1st, the committee released its final report. The findings in the report state:
“The largest and most destructive of the Panhandle wildfires were caused by electric power poles and lines that had not been effectively maintained or replaced by a utility provider and an oil and gas operator.”
The wildfires started in late February and resulted in the deaths of two people and more than 1 million acres burned.
In an episode of the Texas Talks Podcast, Representative Burrows said “we heard devastation ranges of sixty to seventy percent of the entire county.” In an area that is dependent on farming and ranching, Burrows said “in some of these areas it is going to be 2 to 5 years before they can put cattle back on the land.”
The findings commend the efforts of volunteer firefighters but says that the “response efforts were inhibited by a lack of properly positioned, readily available, and timely dispatchable air support on top of ineffective communication and coordination among agencies, local governments, and responders.”
The report recommends “prompt and aggressive action” to respond to future events. The list of recommendations includes “more effective monitoring and rule enforcement is needed to check irresponsible oil and gas operators and improve accountability among utility providers for their pole inspection and replacement programs.”
The committee says that increased funding is needed for a variety of reasons to fortify the state’s fire fighting systems. The recommendations include increased funding for volunteer fire departments, to create a state-owned air fleet, and to upgrade state communications systems.
While the report suggests that the state should increase its capabilities to respond to fires, the committee recommended that the primary responsibility to respond should be given to the local governments and local fire departments with the state playing a more robust supporting role.
