Texas House Committee Investigation Reveals Cause of Largest Wildfire in State’s History

A Texas House of Representatives committee has ruled that the deadly Panhandle wildfires were caused by power poles and lines that “had not been effectively maintained or replaced by a utility provider and an oil and gas provider,” according to the report. The five-member committee released its findings in a 48-page interim report on Wednesday. The committee included state Reps. Ken King (R-Canadian), Dustin Burrows (R-Lubbock), and Rep. Todd Hunter (R-Corpus Christi), along with landowners Jason Abraham and James Henderson. The committee also found that a lack of readily available resources and effective communications equipment hindered efforts to contain the Smokehouse Creek fire and others that devastated the Panhandle earlier this year....