California Offers to Help Texas Fight Wildfires

California officials have offered assistance to Texas as firefighters continue their efforts to contain the largest wildfire in the state's history.

The Smokehouse Creek Fire has killed at least two people and burned more than a million acres since igniting near the town of Stinnett. Strong winds and warm temperatures have helped spread the flames, including into neighboring Oklahoma. Authorities said the fire was 15 percent contained as of Monday morning.

Two other fires in the region—the Windy Deuce Fire and the Grape Vine Creek Fire—have burned a combined 180,000 acres and were 60 percent contained by Monday. Another fire broke out on Sunday, prompting an evacuation order for Sanford, a small town with about 100 residents.

Officials in California, which has battled increasingly destructive wildfires in recent years, told Newsweek the state is ready to assist Texas should a request come.

"California has not received any requests from Texas for assistance as of yet, however California stands ready to assist should we be asked," a spokesperson for the California Governor's Office of Emergency Services said.

Newsweek has contacted a spokesperson for Texas Governor Greg Abbott for comment via email.

Abbott has said the state will continue to "surge" resources to battle the unprecedented fires. However, some have criticized the Republican governor, accusing him of prioritizing the southern border over the response to the blazes.

"Fire levels have intensified in the Texas Panhandle due to windy & dry conditions," Abbott said in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday.

"Texas continues to surge resources to respond to these historic wildfires. Remain vigilant & heed the guidance of local officials to keep yourself & your loved ones safe," he added.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said the federal government is monitoring the fires "every minute of every day" and has devoted funds, equipment and personnel to assist in battling them.

On Monday, he warned that the nation needs to prepare for the effects of extreme weather.

"More than a million acres have burned. And we are in winter, and this is the largest fire in Texas history," he told CNN.

"We are seeing unprecedented blizzards in California," Mayorkas continued. "We, as a country and as a world, have to be ready for the increasing effects of extreme weather caused by climate change. It's a remarkable phenomenon, and it will manifest itself in the days to come, and we have to prepare for it now."