Wildfire in Donley, Texas

The 8 Ball Fire ignited on February 17, 2026, approximately 12 miles west of Clarendon, or ten miles west of Howardwick, along the US 287 corridor in Armstrong County. The fire was fueled by freeze-cured tall grasses and brush, driven by critical fire weather conditions including wind gusts up to 45 mph and low humidity. It exhibited rapid growth initially, spreading from a reported 200 acres to thousands of acres within the first 24 hours. Forward progress of the fire was stopped on the evening of February 18th but was contained on February 21st. In total, Eight Ball Fire burned 13563 acres across Armstrong and Donley counties. There were evacuations in the Howardwick area on February 17th, which were lifted later on February 18th. US Highway 287 was closed from Goodnight to Ashtola for a couple of hours. Highway 70 was also briefly closed. The fire threatened approximately 1,100 homes and critical infrastructure. At the peak of the event, roughly 400 homes were evacuated. The cause of the fire is unknown.

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.