Amidst the destruction of property and the loss of life from the massive wildfires that scorched the Texas Panhandle in recent weeks, ranchers have lost thousands of cattle.
Several ranchers have reported total losses of their herds. Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller confirmed that an estimated 7,000 cattle have died and thousands more will likely need to be euthanized due to injuries, reported CBS News. Miller estimated that the final loss of cattle could approach 10,000.
“Their hooves are burned off, their utters are burnt beyond — they can’t nurse their babies,” Miller said, per CBS. “We’ll actually end up having to put a lot of cattle down just because they won’t be able to make it, even though they survived.”
The number of cattle killed by the fires is merely a dent in the total number of animals in the state, but for many ranchers, the loss of their herds could cause financial ruin. Miller said that he had spoken with one rancher who had lost an entire herd of 700 animals and a young couple who had lost 200 head.
While the cause of the fires is still under investigation, Xcel Energy has reported that its power transmission lines were likely responsible for the Smokehouse Creek Fire, as reported by The Dallas Express.
Shane Pennington, a cattle farmer near Canadian, Texas, told CNN that some of his cattle had such severe burns that their hooves had fallen off. Others had all the hair singed from their bodies.
“Even if they survive it, more than likely they’re gonna get pneumonia, they’re gonna get sick, they’re gonna die,” Pennington said.
The United States Department of Agriculture and the Texas Department of Agriculture are gearing up relief programs to assist ranchers in the wake of the fires. There is also a likelihood that ranchers will file lawsuits against Xcel Energy.
Mary Alexander, who described herself as “one of the top fire litigation attorneys in the United States,” has a website called Fire Litigation.
She advised ranchers harmed by the Smokehouse Creek Fire to “document their losses meticulously, gathering evidence to support their claims. Photographs, financial records, and eyewitness testimonies can strengthen the case against Xcel Energy, bolstering the pursuit of fair compensation for incurred damages.”
Gov. Greg Abbott has taken steps to provide support for ranchers impacted by the fires.
“To better help Texans swiftly recover from the damage caused by the devastating wildfires, I requested the U.S. Small Business Administration join our state and local officials to begin preliminary damage assessments in affected areas,” Abbott wrote in a statement last Thursday.
The Smokehouse Creek Fire is the largest wildfire in Texas history. It has burned through more than one million acres of grassland and is responsible for two known deaths along with hundreds of destroyed structures, per CBS.
As of Sunday, the fire was 87% contained in the most recent update by the Texas A&M Forest Service.