10,000 cattle expected to be slaughtered by the Smokehouse Creek Fire, reports say

Thousands of cattle are being slaughtered as the Smoke House Creek Fire in the Texas panhandle blazes across 1.1 million acres, according to reports from the area.

The fire is leaving destruction and death in its wake and is now 15% contained. Texas A&M Forest Service told USA TODAY that it is now the biggest fire in Texas' recorded history.

The area currently engulfed by flames is not densely populated, but two people are confirmed dead.

The fire is also a huge threat to cattle. There are millions of cows, calves, steers and bulls in the area, reports the New York Times.

Maddison Jaureguito, the director of communications for the Texas Department of Agriculture, told USA TODAY the department will release an updated number of cattle deaths and a statement soon.

Stay up to date with live updatesAs Texas crews battle largest wildfire in state history, more fire weather ahead: Live updates

Majority of Texas' cattle lives in the panhandle

"Over 85% of the state’s cattle population is located on ranches in the panhandle," said Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller in a statement. "There are millions of cattle out there, with some towns comprising more cattle than people. The losses could be catastrophic for those counties."

That 85% of the state's cattle comes to about 12 million cows, according to the New York Times.

According to the statement from the Texas Department of Agriculture, Greg Abbott declared a disaster in 60 counties, and the State of Texas Agriculture Relief Fund, or STAR Fund, is asking for donations that will assist farmers in the panhandle.

'Farmers and ranchers are losing everything'

Miller told the New York Times that he predicts 10,000 cattle will die in the fire or have to be euthanized.

"A lot of those cattle are still alive, but the hooves are burned off, the teats on their udders are burned off," he said. "It's just a sad, sad situation."

The numbers provided by Miller have not been confirmed by the Texas A&M AgriLife's Disaster Assessment and Recovery, DAR, unit, which is conducting a damage assessment.

Rancher Jeff Chisum told the New York Time he was still figuring out how many of his 600 cows were lost to the flames. While he found the remains of some, he had to euthanize others.

"It’s hard to watch,” said Chisum. Nearly his entire ranch, 30,000 acres, was scorched by the fire.

Blair Fannin, the public information officer for DAR told USA TODAY the agency is working in partnership with the Texas Animal Health Commission, and set up three supply points to distribute hay, sack feed and more to ranchers in need.

Donations to help farmers and ranchers affected by the fire are being sent from in and out of the state.

"Farmers and ranchers are so resilient here in Texas," said Fannin. "They're going to overcome this, but its not going to be without help."

The largest cattle killing fire in Texas

In 2023, an explosion at a dairy farm in Dimmit killed 18,000 cattle.

The explosion led to a fire that spread quickly across crowded holding pens where thousands of dairy cows were kept.

It resulted in the deaths of enough cattle to fill 26 football fields. The explosion is believed to have been caused by a malfunctioning piece of farm equipment.

Contributing: Rick Jervis; USA TODAY