Texas is no stranger to winter wildfires, but the ferocity of the Smokehouse Creek fire — the state’s largest on record after burning through more than 1 million acres — caught even the experts off guard.
Its severity was due to a perfect storm of environmental factors: highly flammable grasses and strong winds combined with abnormally high temperatures and dry conditions — the kind of extreme weather often exacerbated by climate change.

This fire adds to an ever-lengthening list of rapidly spreading, destructive wildfires in the US and elsewhere. As humans continue to heat up the world with fossil fuel pollution, scientists warn these kinds of fires will only become more common.

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📸 : Patrick Ryan/Reuters