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‘Ghastly sight’: Thousands of cattle killed in historic 2024 Texas Panhandle wildfires

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‘Ghastly sight’: Thousands of cattle killed in historic 2024 Texas Panhandle wildfires



“It’s a ghastly sight,” Sid Miller, commissioner of the Texas Department of Agriculture, told USA TODAY.

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Thousands of livestock have been killed in the wildfires that’ve ripped across the Texas Panhandle over the last week, inflicting unprecedented damage upon the largest cattle region in the nation.

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Officials surveying the damage said more than 3,600 cattle have died since the fires – some of which are still ongoing – spread through multiple counties and into Oklahoma, destroying hundreds of homes and killing at least two people. The number of dead cattle is expected to double or triple in the coming days as inspectors continue inspecting the land and animals are euthanized because of burn injuries and trauma, Sid Miller, commissioner of the Texas Department of Agriculture, told USA TODAY.

“It’s a ghastly sight,” Miller said, recounting hundreds of cows lying dead on smoldering fields. “We’ve never seen anything like this.”

The largest of the blazes, the Smokehouse Creek fire, burned more than 1 million acres of land, an area larger than the state of Rhode Island, and is the largest wildfire in state history. While authorities have not said what caused the fires, citing early and ongoing investigations, a lawsuit filed in county court last week alleged that a downed utility pole in Stinnett was to blame.

Texas is home to 11 million livestock animals and 85% are in the panhandle, making it the country’s most prominent region for beef production, Miller said. The mass deaths likely won’t impact the price of beef around the nation, but it has already devastated local ranchers, many who’ve maintained businesses that have been in their family for generations, he said.

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“They’ve lost their livestock, ranches, all their belongings, all their family heirlooms,” Miller said. “Many of them just have the shirt on their back.”

The Smokehouse Creek fire quadrupled in size in less than 48 hours, catching officials, civilians and farmers off guard and unable to prevent widespread damage. Miller said several large ranchers cut down their own fences so their livestock could escape into surrounding wheat fields; other farmers barely had enough time to get themselves out alive.

Dozens of nearby residents joined the massive recovery effort, donating money, food and equipment to their neighbors. Trailers packed with hay, feed and other supplies have answered the urgent need for vital sustenance as the wildfires consumed the cattle’s primary food source.

“This is ranchers helping ranchers,” said Jason Smith, a beef cattle specialist and associated professor for Texas A&M University. He noted that some farms were untouched or suffered little damage, while others were completely destroyed.

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Several nearby ranches have loaned out tractors and other heavy equipment needed to pile up and transport the corpses of cattle before they’re buried or incinerated. Chance Bowers, who operates a ranch in Hansford County, about 80 miles northeast of Amarillo, said such equipment was used to move hundreds of cattle who died either from burns or smoke inhalation.

“We were right in the middle of calving season,” Bowers said. “In a few weeks, we’ll really know what we lost. … This pasture alone, there’s 70 dead.”

Though the fires are still ongoing, local officials said they’ve seen enough damage to know recovery won’t come quickly.

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“A lot of these people are going to have to sell,” Miller said. “They have no grass, no infrastructure, no fences, no cattle. They’ll sell and wait for better days. … It’ll take a couple of years to get things back in shape.”

Contributing: The Associated Press; Lubbock Avalanche Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network



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Look: Texas A&M coach Mike Elko snips in press conference after Texas trolls

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Look: Texas A&M coach Mike Elko snips in press conference after Texas trolls


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Texas football welcomed Mike Elko to his terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day on Black Friday.

As the Longhorns took the final kneels to secure a 27-17 win over Texas A&M to knock the Aggies out of the land of unbeaten college football teams, the video board at DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas trolled Elko.

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Texas played a short clip of Elko calling Texas A&M “the flagship program of the state” last year, with a voiceover saying “Sike” about his comments. That was met by loud cheers from the fans as Texas earned the win.

It only got worse for Elko from there. Following the loss, he lost his cool during his press conference over the noise of the Longhorns celebrating their win over the Aggies.

The loss for Texas A&M knocked to rival Texas knocked it out of the SEC Championship game.

“Can we close the door and run a professional press conference?” Elko asked mid-answer.

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The good news for Elko and the Aggies: They closed out the season with an 11-1 record, including a 7-1 record in SEC play. Texas A&M has secured a spot in the College Football Playoff and, barring a major upset, should at least have a home first-round game, if not a bye in the opening round.



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How to Watch Temple vs North Texas: Live Stream NCAA College Football, TV Channel

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How to Watch Temple vs North Texas: Live Stream NCAA College Football, TV Channel


The North Texas Mean Green (10-1) looks for a program-record 11th win and a spot in the American championship game on Friday afternoon when they host a Temple Owls (5-6) squad still trying to become bowl eligible after three straight losses.

How to Watch Temple vs North Texas

  • When: Friday, November 28, 2025
  • Time: 3:30 PM ET
  • TV Channel: ESPN
  • Live Stream: Fubo (try for free)

North Texas won its fifth straight game on Saturday night, rolling to a 56-24 road victory at Rice after erasing an early 14-0 deficit. Drew Mestemaker threw for 469 yards, finishing 19-of-23 with three touchdowns, and also ran for a score. Caleb Hawkins ran for 97 yards and three TDs on 20 carries, and Ashton Gray also had a rushing touchdown. Wyatt Young had a huge night with eight catches for 295 yards and two scores, and Tre Williams III caught a TD pass. 

Temple’s slide continued on Saturday with a 37-13 loss to visiting Tulane. Evan Simon threw for 168 yards and two touchdowns, but the running game was limited to just 20 yards. Colin Chase and Peter Clarke made scoring catches in the loss. Simon absorbed four sacks before he was pulled from the game. 

Eric Morris was announced on Tuesday as the new head coach at Oklahoma State and will leave North Texas at the end of the season. The Mean Green haven’t won a conference title since the 2004 Sun Belt championship and have a simple win-and-in scenario to reach the American championship game. They are 2-0 all-time against Temple, including a 24-17 road win on Nov. 30.   

This is a great college football matchup that you will not want to miss; make sure to tune in and catch all the action.

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Guidelines for Texas’ controversial school voucher program released

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Guidelines for Texas’ controversial school voucher program released


TEXAS (KTRK) — The State Comptroller’s Office has released guidelines for the Texas Education Freedom Accounts. This program is also referred to as school choice or school vouchers, and has stirred up controversy.

It’s funded through $1B taxpayer dollars, and while proponents say it gives families the choice to pick the best education for their child, critics have said it takes money away from already underfunded and struggling public school systems.

This program is open to students in pre-K through high school. Standard students who wish to attend a state-approved private school can receive approximately $10,800 per child, per year.

Students with disabilities or additional learning needs must have their individual education program, or IEP, on file with the school district to be eligible for up to $30,000 per student, per year

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And homeschooled children can get up to $2,000 per child, per year.

SEE ALSO: Private school vouchers are now law in Texas. Here’s how they will work

State law dictates that priority will be given to children who have siblings already in the program and based on income and the federal poverty line. If more students enroll than funding allows, a lottery will be instituted.

Eyewitness News previously reported that the funds would probably fund around 90,000 students, even though the Texas Education Agency estimated in 2024 that over 5 million school-aged children live in Texas.

The first important enrollment date comes for private schools and vendors who want to accept voucher students, and is part of the one billion dollars the state is pouring into it. The State Comptroller’s office says schools and vendors can start signing on through Odyssey on Dec. 9. Odyssey is the company the state selected to run the voucher lottery and operate a platform that allows families to spend the money awarded to them by the state.

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The second important date comes for families, which is Feb. 4. That’s when families can start signing up students. The State Comptroller said this gives the state and families ample time to make decisions ahead of the 2026-27 school year

The State Comptroller said schools that wish to apply for the program must have a Texas location and have been accredited for at least two years, but this applies to schools both in and outside of Texas, so in theory, a program accredited outside of Texas could build a campus in the state this year and still be eligible.

SEE ALSO: ABC13 obtains exclusive HISD student enrollment records for 2025-26 school year

The state is also dictating that private schools wishing to be a part of the program will have to administer an assessment to voucher students in grades 3 through 12

The program will be monitored by the State Comptroller’s office, which will partner with a private group to audit the program at least once a year.

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State education groups pushed the state to be more transparent about how families were spending money and where, though our partners at the Houston Chronicle note the state rejected those ideas.

For more news updates, follow Lileana Pearson on Facebook, X and Instagram.

Copyright © 2025 KTRK-TV. All Rights Reserved.





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