Wildfire in Oldham, Texas

The Lavender Fire ignited on February 17, 2026, approximately five miles south of Boys Ranch in Oldham County. The fire began along the U.S. Highway 385 corridor. The fire was fueled by critically dry, waist-high grass and extreme wind conditions. It exhibited rapid growth initially, pushed by strong west winds with gusts reaching 50-60 mph. The fire quickly crossed key roadways, including FM 1061 (Tascosa Road), and spread toward the Canadian River. In total, the Lavender Fire burned 18423 acres across Oldham County and into Potter County. Mandatory evacuations were issued for the Valley De Oro community and areas between Tascosa Road (FM 1061) and U.S. Highway 287 in north-central Potter County during the afternoon of February 17th. The Ady neighborhood was also evacuated on February 18th. FM 1061(Tascosa Road) at US Highway 385/281 was closed due to fires during the afternoon of February 17th and was reopened during the evening of February 18th. The Texas Department of Public Safety also shutdown Highway 287 on February 17th and US 87 was closed in both directions from FM 1719, just north of Amarillo to SH 354, south of Dumas. Approximately 250 people and homes were affected. Incident report noted 40 homes saved, and 7 homes lost. In addition, Xcel Energy implemented a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) to reduce wildfire risk, which affected thousands of customers and resulted in some schools closing for the day due to lack of electricity and ability to feed students. The cause of the fire is undetermined.

A strong upper level weather system moved across the High Plains region and brought down very strong winds to the surface from the late morning to the late afternoon on February 17, 2026. A wide array of high winds in the 60 mph range affected the majority of the Texas Panhandle and some locations even experienced wind gusts over 70 mph. Damage to homes, structures, and overturned semi-trucks occurred during the afternoon as a result of these stronger winds. Blowing dust and extreme critical fire weather conditions were also present thanks to the strong winds and several wildfires occurred across the Texas Panhandle as a result.