“We’re doing what Canadian has always done,” Panhandle resident says a year after wildfires

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One year ago, Panhandle residents watched as a flock of wildfires incinerated much of the land, killing three people, more than 15,000 head of cattle and destroying 138 structures. Among the fires was the Smokehouse Creek, which became the largest in state history, blazing through more than 1 million acres of land.

The town of Canadian in Hemphill County was one of the hardest-hit areas. They are on the road to recovery and working with lawmakers, who have filed legislation that could resolve some of the issues that cause wildfires.

In a one-on-one conversation recorded March 11, the Texas Tribune’s South Plains and Panhandle reporter, Jayme Lozano Carver, spoke with Canadian resident Remelle Farrar about how the town survived and why she has decided to stay in this remote part of the state.

Despite being a magnet for wildfires, Farrar said, the town is strong and wants to be a resource for others who could share the same fate.

“We’re doing what Canadian has always done,” Farrar said. “We’re doing everything we can do to fix it ourselves. We’re also going to Austin and asking for as much help as we can get, making as many trips as we have to, to make people understand.”

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