Smokehouse Creek Fire: Red Cross Helping Victims Across Several States

The American Red Cross is on the ground in Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas where a devastating wildfire has burned more than a million acres and forced thousands of people from their homes.

The fast-moving Smokehouse Creek Fire, now the largest fire in Texas history, has charred more than a million acres as containment slowly progresses. Rain is expected in the region which could give fire teams a better chance to get the fire out. However, one Texas official reported the fire could grow to more than 2 million acres before the Smokehouse Creek Fire is completely doused. If this happens, the blaze would be the third largest in U.S. history. Early reports indicate hundreds of homes are destroyed or have received major damage.

RED CROSS RESPONSE With heavy rain predicted, there is the danger of flash flooding occurring in the area and the Red Cross has disaster teams standing by to help if needed.

The Red Cross and our partners continue to provide care and support for residents affected by the wildfires. About 100 trained Red Cross disaster workers are supporting the operation by distributing thousands of emergency supplies, staffing multiple shelters, providing meals and services, doing outreach throughout the affected areas and more.

Over the weekend, Red Cross volunteers distributed emergency supplies in several communities, including clean-up kits, gloves, trash bags, dust masks, rakes, shovels, tarps, water and other items. Anyone needing assistance can visit the Red Cross shelter or call 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767).

YOU CAN HELP people affected by disasters like wildfires and countless other crises by making a gift to Red Cross Disaster Relief. Your gift enables the Red Cross to prepare for, respond to and help people recover from disasters big and small. Visit redcross.org, call 800-RED-CROSS (800-733-2767), or text the word REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation. 

CLIMATE CRISIS AND TEXAS WILDFIRES Changes in the environment due to the climate crisis are heightening the risk of wildfires in the U.S. and around the world. Record-setting high temperatures linked to global warming, extremely dry vegetation and strong winds are leading to more fast growing, devastating fires.

2023 saw an all-time high of 28 billion-dollar plus disasters in this country that forced 2.5 million people from their homes, according to the Census Bureau. With this, the Red Cross is responding to nearly twice as many large disasters now compared to a decade ago and is enhancing its large-scale disaster response and recovery services, expanding financial assistance, strengthening local partner networks, and growing our disaster workforce as families and communities struggle with more frequent and intense disasters. Find out more about the Red Cross and its work on the climate crisis here.

FIND A SHELTER The Red Cross reminds everyone that it is critical to listen to the advice of local authorities and evacuate immediately if asked to do so. For those who have already evacuated, don’t return home until officials say it is safe to do so. 

People in need of assistance can visit redcross.org/shelter or call 1-800-RED-CROSS (800-733-2767). They can also download the Red Cross Emergency app for real-time alerts, open Red Cross shelter locations and expert advice on wildfires. The app includes an “I’m Safe” feature that help people check on loved ones. Search “American Red Cross” in app stores or go to redcross.org/apps. 

Anyone coming to a Red Cross emergency shelter should try to bring personal items for each member of their family, including prescription and emergency medications, extra clothing, pillows, blankets, hygiene supplies, important documents and other comfort items. It’s also important to bring special items for children, such as diapers, formula and toys, and other items for family members who have unique needs.

WILDFIRE SAFETY INFORMATION HERE

1 Pay attention to your surroundings.

• Keep track of the weather, fires near you, and listen to instructions from local authorities.

• Be ready to leave quickly with your Go-Kit (3 days of supplies that you can easily carry with you).

• You might not get an official notice to evacuate.

• Be ready to leave if local authorities advise, or if you feel you are in danger.

2 A wildfire can spread very quickly, leaving you little time to get to safety.

• Back your car into the garage or park it outside, facing the direction of your evacuation route. 

• Keep your pets in one room, so you can find them if you need to evacuate quickly. 

• Limit exposure to smoke and dust. Keep indoor air clean by closing windows and doors to prevent outside smoke from getting in. 

• Do not use anything that burns, such as candles, fireplaces, and gas stoves. 

3 If you are trapped outdoors, crouch in a pond, river, or pool.

• If there is no body of water, look for shelter in a cleared area or among a bed of rocks. Lie flat, face-down and cover your body with soil. Breathe the air close to the ground to avoid scorching your lungs or inhaling smoke. 

WILDFIRE PREVENTION Sadly, people cause 85% of wildfires by burning debris, using equipment improperly, discarding cigarettes carelessly, leaving campfires unattended or intentionally setting a fire. To help prevent wildfires, follow these critical tips:

• Don’t drive your vehicle onto dry grass or brush. Hot components under your vehicle can spark fires.

• Use equipment responsibly. Lawn mowers, chain saws, tractors and trimmers can all spark a wildfire.

• Use caution any time you use fire. Dispose of charcoal briquettes and fireplace ashes properly, never leave any outdoor fire unattended, and make sure that outdoor fires are fully extinguished before leaving the area.

• If residential debris burning is allowed — use caution. After obtaining any necessary permits, ensure that burning is not currently restricted in your area.

• Store combustible or flammable materials in approved safety containers away from the house.

DONATION OF GOODS We know that people are generous and want to do everything they can to help after a disaster. Our first priority is to provide shelter and support to those affected — and financial donations are the quickest and best way to help those who need it most.

Donations of clothing and household items divert resources away from our mission whereas financial donations can be used right away to directly help those affected. It takes time and money to store, sort, clean and distribute donated items. Before collecting or dropping off donations of clothing or household items, please call the Red Cross to see if these items are needed. We might accept large, bulk donations of new items if they fit the needs of people affected. When possible, the Red Cross partners with organizations that manage donations of goods as part of their primary mission. In all cases, due to health code regulations, the Red Cross cannot accept donations of homecooked meals or food items not prepared in a commercial kitchen.

Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) Through the generosity of our American Red Cross Annual Disaster Giving Program (ADGP) and Disaster Responder members, the American Red Cross is prepared before disaster strikes. ADGP and Disaster Responder members help secure a reliable funding base for disaster relief services that enables the Red Cross to respond immediately, meeting the needs of individuals and families affected by disaster, regardless of cost. 

ADGP $1M Members: Amazon; American Airlines; Anheuser-Busch Foundation; Bank of America; Caterpillar Foundation; CMA CGM Foundation; Costco Wholesale; Delta Air Lines; Elevance Health Foundation; Enterprise Mobility Foundation; FedEx; Lilly Endowment Inc.; Lowe's Companies, Inc.; McDonald’s Corporation; Merck; Microsoft; Nationwide Foundation; PayPal; The Pfizer Foundation; The Starbucks Foundation; State Farm; Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited; Truist Foundation; VSP Vision; Walmart and the Walmart Foundation; Wells Fargo

ADGP $500k Members: Altria Group; American Express; Aon; Bread Financial; Capital One; Chick-fil-A; Citi Foundation; The Clorox Company; Danaher Foundation; Darden Foundation; Delta Dental; DHL Supply Chain; DraftKings; Edison International; Energy Transfer/Sunoco Foundation; Ford Motor Company Fund; Fox Corporation; General Motors; Google.org; HCA Healthcare; The Home Depot Foundation; The J.M. Smucker Company; Johnson Controls Foundation; Kaiser Permanente; The Kraft Heinz Company Foundation; The Kroger Co. Foundation; Liberty Mutual Insurance; Mastercard; Mondelēz International Foundation; New Balance Foundation; PepsiCo Foundation; PetSmart Charities; Salesforce; Southeastern Grocers Gives Foundation & Southeastern Grocers, home of Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket, and Winn-Dixie; Stryker; Target; The TJX Companies, Inc.; Toyota; United Airlines; UPS; USAA; U.S. Bank Foundation; Visa Foundation; The Walt Disney Company; The Wawa Foundation; Wesco.

Disaster Responder Members: 7-Eleven Cares Foundation; Adobe; The AES Corporation; Aldi; Ameriprise Financial; Assurant; AvalonBay Communities, Inc.; Avangrid Foundation; Barclays; Bath & Body Works; Big 5 Sporting Goods; Build-A-Bear Foundation; CarMax; CDW; Charles Schwab Foundation; Choice Hotels International; Cisco Foundation; CNA Insurance; The Coca-Cola Foundation; The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation; Discover; Dollar General; Duke Energy; Dutch Bros Foundation; Equitable; FirstEnergy Corporation; Harbor Freight Tools Foundation, LLC; Hewlett Packard Enterprise Foundation; HP Foundation; International Paper; Keurig Dr Pepper; Kimberly-Clark Corporation; L’Oréal; The Labcorp Charitable Foundation; Lenovo Foundation; LHC Group; LKQ; Lockheed Martin Corporation; Macy’s, Inc.; Major League Baseball; Marathon Petroleum Company LP; Martin Marietta; Mattress Firm; McKesson Foundation; MetLife Foundation; The Middleby Corporation; Neiman Marcus Group; NextEra Energy, Inc.; Northrop Grumman Foundation; Northwestern Mutual; Old Dominion Freight Line; Pacific Life Foundation; Prudential; Raymond James; RBC Foundation USA; Reckitt; Reynolds American Inc.; RTX; Ryder System, Inc.; Santander; Security Finance’s Lending Hand Foundation; ServiceNow; Southwest Airlines; Stanley Black & Decker; Tata Consultancy Services; U-Haul International; U.S. Foods; Yum! Brands; Zurich.