A series of fast-moving wildfires fueled by extreme drought, low humidity, and gusty winds has scorched hundreds of thousands of acres across the southern Great Plains, destroying homes and threatening the livelihoods of farming and ranching communities.
Agricultural Devastation
The fires have burned through critical rangeland and cropland, killing livestock and destroying hay supplies that ranchers depend on to feed their herds. The agricultural toll is expected to run into hundreds of millions of dollars.
Response Efforts
The American Red Cross is providing emergency shelter, meals, and financial assistance to families who have lost homes to the wildfires.
Convoy of Hope has deployed teams with emergency supplies to affected communities, distributing water, food, and personal care items to evacuated families.
ASPCA has mobilized animal rescue teams to evacuate and provide emergency veterinary care for pets, livestock, and other animals in the fire zones.
Echoes of 2024
The fires draw comparisons to the devastating Smokehouse Creek Fire that burned over a million acres in the Texas Panhandle in February 2024, highlighting the recurring wildfire risk facing the southern Plains during drought conditions.
Visit our Southern Plains Wildfires disaster page for the full list of responding organizations.