Texas Fire Threat to Worsen as Oklahoma Panhandle Burns

A fast-moving wildfire in the Oklahoma panhandle doubled in size as it pressed into Kansas while winds threatened to shift and raise fire risks across West Texas and New Mexico.

The Ranger Road Fire had consumed more than 283,000 acres in Oklahoma and Kansas as of Thursday, nearly 20 times the size of the island of Manhattan. In all, more than 300,000 acres have burned in Oklahoma this week as temperatures soared roughly 15F (8C) above average and rock-bottom humidity dried out grasses and brush.

Oklahoma officials had received 33 reports of fires and hotspots spanning nearly two dozen counties, including a fast-growing fire that briefly prompted evacuations south of the Ranger Road blaze. Though the state is expected to see some relief Friday as temperatures drop and humidity creeps higher, winds are forecast to pick up across far West Texas. Two fires outside the city of Amarillo have already consumed more than 31,000 acres.

Drought conditions have plagued much of Texas and the Great Plains this winter despite recent snow and rains. Over the next week, the region is expected to remain drier and warmer than normal, according to the US Climate Prediction Center.

As of Thursday, the wildfires had no discernible impact on oil or natural gas production across Oklahoma, a major drilling theater and convergence point for a dense web of pipelines. Roughly 24 million barrels of crude are stored in the town of Cushing — the nation’s largest onshore storage hub and the delivery point for benchmark US crude futures.

Oklahoma is also home to refineries operated by Valero Energy Corp., Phillips 66, HF Sinclair and CVR Energy. None of the fuelmaking plants, which collectively refine 550,000 barrels of oil daily, are located in the panhandle where wildfire activity has been largely concentrated.

The largely rural region is dotted with sprawling ranches and farms. The Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Foundation said it had opened a relief fund to help cattle ranchers affected by the fires.

Copyright 2026 Bloomberg.

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