Texas House Committee calls for more firefighting resources after Panhandle wildfires

A series of wildfires in Texas, including the largest in state history, hit the Panhandle region earlier this year, causing at least two deaths and the destruction of more than one million acres of land.

On Wednesday, the special Texas House Committee tasked with pinpointing contributing factors for the outbreak published its final 43-page report, which recommends legislative solutions for the prevention of future fires.

Chairing the Committee was State Representative Ken King of Canadian, one of the communities hardest hit by the wildfires. Also serving on the Committee were Representatives Dustin Burrows and Todd Hunter, as well as Panhandle landowners Jason Abraham and James Henderson.

The report largely finds electric utilities and oil and gas operators to blame for sparking the deadly fires. “More effective monitoring and rule enforcement is needed to check irresponsible oil and gas operators and to improve accountability among utility providers in their pole inspection and replacement programs,” the report reads.

It also calls for Texas to create its own aerial firefighting fleet to avoid a future delayed air response like the one experienced in the Panhandle.

“The legislature should authorize and fund a state-owned firefighting air fleet, hire pilots and crews to operate and maintain it and secure the infrastructure necessary to stage and deploy the aircraft to effectively fight wildfires in the Texas Panhandle and other high-risk areas,” the Committee wrote.

On top of this, the committee called for additional funding and resources for frontline volunteer fire departments, including for improved radio communication systems.