Texas wildfires force suspension of operations at Pantex nuclear facility

On Tuesday, February 27, Pantex, a nuclear facility located 48 kilometers east of Amarillo, Texas, suspended its operations due to nearby wildfires. The fires have affected multiple counties, including Hemphill and Hutchinson, with less than 1% containment as of Tuesday evening. Governor Greg Abbott has issued a disaster declaration for 60 counties and urged residents to minimize activities that could further ignite the fires. The Pantex site, which is responsible for assembling and disassembling America's nuclear arsenal, has a small number of non-essential personnel sheltering on-site. The largest wildfire in Texas has burned nearly 400 square miles (1,040 square kilometers), more than twice its size since it started on Monday. The cause of the blaze is still unknown.