A fast-moving wildfire raced across Interstate 40 near Shamrock, Texas, on Friday, forcing the closing of that highway and Route 66 for hours.
According to tweets from the Texas Department of Transportation, state officials closed I-40 at the Oklahoma state line to Shamrock because of the grass fires. They eventually detoured motorists to state highways south of the superslab.
According to a report by the Texas A&M Forest Service, the fire in Wheeler County, Texas, had burned 7,500 acres and was just 30 percent contained as of Friday evening.
High winds and months of drought conditions across the region exacerbated the blaze. An Amarillo television station reported wildfires in at least 10 other areas in the Texas Panhandle.
This video by Latonna Joyce from a big rig heading west on I-40 east of Shamrock shows the devastation:
No injuries were reported Friday night, but property damage has to be extensive.
(Image of a wildfire Friday afternoon near Shamrock, Texas, by Trent Price via Facebook)