Texas: Disaster declaration issued and nuclear weapons plant shut down as wildfires spread
A disaster declaration has been issued for dozens of counties in northern Texas as raging wildfires forced evacuations in several towns and a nuclear weapons plant to shut down.
Republican governor Greg Abbott proclaimed 60 counties were in a state of disaster and called for extra emergency services to support local firefighters in tackling the blazes.
The unbridled Smokehouse Creek Fire, the largest of all the blazes, burned nearly 400 square miles – more than twice its size since it sparked on Monday, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service. It also forced major roads to close.
Unseasonable hot and dry conditions, along with strong winds, have caused the fires to ignite and spread across the state’s grassy plains at an alarming pace – but authorities have not yet pinpointed the source of the blaze.
Pic: Jeff Bartlett via Reuters
Pic: Flower Mound Fire Department via AP
Flower Mound Texas Fire Department/via Reuters
Pantex nuclear facility paused operations until further notice due to an out-of-control fire approaching its Panhandle site near Amarillo.
Its 16,000-acre site is home to the plant that builds and disassembles America’s nuclear weapons.
“The fire near Pantex is not contained,” the company said. “Response efforts have shifted to evacuations.”
The Pantex plant in Texas. File pic: AP
Pantex confirmed there was no fire on the site as emergency services continued to monitor the situation.
It added “all employees” had been accounted for and “non-essential personnel” were no longer on site.
Several fires in the Texan counties of Hemphill and Hutchinson were nearing the Oklahoma border, where some evacuations have also been ordered.
One of the wildfires prompted an evacuation near Oklahoma. Pic: Reuters
Hemphill County Sheriff Office urged anyone who remained in Canadian, about 100 miles northeast of Amarillo, to shelter in place or at the school gym because roads were closed.
Wildland Team members set to tackle the fires. Pic: Flower Mound Texas Fire Department via Reuters.
Smoke from multiple wildfires near Seiling, Oklahoma. Pic: Reuters
Officials in Hutchinson County described the struggle of responding to the multiple fires in the area while juggling how best to inform civilians of what to do in a Facebook post.
“We have areas without power, water, and active burning,” it said.
“Pray for the safety of all involved. And pack your go bag just in case. That is the best information we know how to provide right now.”
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Posting on X, Texas senator Ted Cruz gave details of several shelters available for those impacted by the blazes which included a youth centre and churches.
Officials in the city of Pampa, about 40 miles southwest of Canadian, suggested residents evacuate to the south by bus.
One resident described the fire as a “monster”, adding homes had been lost, along with livestock that could not be evacuated in time.
Children are among the fatalities in a mass shooting at a child’s birthday party in California.
Police said four people had died and 10 were wounded in the incident in Stockton, about 60 miles east of San Francisco.
Officers were called on Saturday to a banquet hall just before 6pm local time (2am UK time) and district attorney Ron Freitas said children were among the dead.
He said the attacker was still at large.
First responders walk through a parking lot near the scene of a mass shooting in Stockton, California. Pics: AP
“We can confirm at this time that approximately 14 individuals were struck by gunfire, and four victims have been confirmed deceased,” San Joaquin County Sheriff’s Office said on X.
The post said early indications suggest it could be a “targeted incident” but that information remains limited.
Police have so far not disclosed the attacker’s identity and the motive is unclear.
Stockton’s vice mayor Jason Lee confirmed on Facebook that the shooting on Lucile Avenue happened at a child’s birthday party.
Pics: AP
Mayor Christina Fugazzi also said that “families should be together instead of at the hospital, standing next to their loved one, praying that they survive”.
California governor Gavin Newsom’s office added that he had been briefed on the “horrific shooting”.
Venezuela has accused Donald Trump of a “colonial threat” after he said the airspace “above and surrounding” the country should be considered closed “in its entirety”.
Mr Trump made the declaration amid growing tensions with President Maduro – and as the US continues attacking boats it claims are carrying drugs from Venezuela.
He wrote on Truth Social: “To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY.”
Air traffic above Venezuela on Saturday afternoon. Pic: FlightRadar24
Venezuela’s foreign affairs office called it a “colonial threat” and “illegal, and unjustified aggression”.
It accused the president of threatening “the sovereignty of the national airspace… and the full sovereignty of the Venezuelan state”.
President Trump’s words were part of a “permanent policy of aggression against our country” that breached international law and the UN Charter, it added.
The Pentagon and the White House have so far not given any additional detail on the president’s statement.
Mr Trump’s post comes after the American aviation regulator last week warned of a “potentially hazardous situation” over Venezuela due to a “worsening security situation”.
Nicolas Maduro is widely considered a dictator by the West. Pic: Reuters
The South American nation revoked operating rights for six major airlines that went on to suspend flights to the country.
Mr Trump warned a few days ago that land operations against suspected Venezuelan drug traffickers would begin “very soon”.
Such a move would be a major escalation in Operation Southern Spear – the US naval deployment in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific that’s so far attacked at least 21 vessels.
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Venezuela has said the attacks, which have killed more than 80 people, amount to murder.
The US has released videos of boats being targeted, but hasn’t provided evidence – such as photos of their cargo – to support the smuggling claims.
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The Pentagon has sought to justify the strikes by labelling the drug gangs as “foreign terrorist organisations” – putting them on par with the likes of al Qaeda.
It claims the boats targeted are carrying drugs bound for the US, although Sky’s chief correspondent says the final destination is likely to be Europe and West Africa.
President Maduro has denied Mr Trump’s claims he is involved in the drugs trade himself and said his counterpart wants to oust him so he can install a more sympathetic government.
Venezuelan officials have also claimed Mr Trump’s true motivation is access to the country’s plentiful oil reserves.
Mr Maduro is widely considered a dictator who’s cheated elections and has been president since 2013.
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