Massive Panhandle wildfire scorches 73K acres, contributes to severe thunderstorm
A massive wildfire in the Panhandle has scorched more than 73,000 acres, prompted numerous road closures and contributed to the creation of a severe thunderstorm.
Emergency crews are still working to contain the Mallard Fire in Armstrong County that began last week and, by Monday afternoon, was only 20 percent contained, with crews from the Texas A&M Forest Service and area volunteer fire departments battling the blaze, according to updates from the forest service. The fire started Wednesday and had burned 20,000 acres by the next day.
Hot, dry and windy weather conditions have helped the fire spread and have even create a unique situation. The blaze is also contributing to the weather, with a pyrocumulus cloud developing above the fire, triggering a severe thunderstorm in the area.
“It’s rare to get a severe thunderstorm from that,” said Aaron Ward, meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Amarillo. “It’s a unique event and it doesn’t happen often.”
Read more: http://www.amarillo.com/news/20180514/massive-panhandle-wildfire-scorches-73k-acres-contributes-to-severe-thunderstorm/1
