<div class="css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn" data-testid="companionColumn-0"><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Fast-moving wildfires were spreading Friday afternoon over portions of the Texas Panhandle and Oklahoma, prompting evacuations, causing several car crashes amid sandstorm conditions and leaving thousands without power.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Preliminary reports showed that at least three people had died in crashes in the greater Amarillo region, according to officials there.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">The wildfires were being <a class="css-yywogo" href="https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/14/weather/texas-oklahoma-fire-weather.html" title="">fueled by gusty winds and dry air across a parched landscape</a> in eastern New Mexico and Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas and even portions of the Midwest. Forecasters at the National Weather Service warned that more fire outbreaks appeared likely going into Saturday.</p></div><aside aria-label="companion column" class="css-ew4tgv"></aside></div><div data-testid="Dropzone-1"></div><div class="css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn" data-testid="companionColumn-1"><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">By Friday afternoon, more than 100,000 had lost power across the Texas Panhandle region and parts of Oklahoma, <a class="css-yywogo" href="https://poweroutage.us/area/state/texas" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="">according to poweroutage.us</a>. The authorities warned that rolling blackouts were a possibility to avoid fires caused by downed power lines. In <a class="css-yywogo" href="https://x.com/NWSNorman/status/1900619421179408748" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="">Norman, Okla.,</a> about 15 miles south of Oklahoma City, the authorities were urging some residents to evacuate.</p></div><aside aria-label="companion column" class="css-ew4tgv"></aside></div><div data-testid="InteractiveBlock-3"><section class="interactive-content interactive-size-medium css-14l1964" data-id="100000010050880" data-source-id="100000010050880" data-testid="inline-interactive" id="2025-03-14-firefriday"><div class="css-17ih8de interactive-body" data-sourceid="100000010050880" id="embed-id-100000010050880" slug="2025-03-14-firefriday"> <cript>window.registerInteractive && window.registerInteractive("100000010050880");</script> <head id="birdkit-head"> <meta content="" http-equiv="content-security-policy"/> <link href="https://static01.nytimes.com/newsgraphics/outlooks-map-embed/a423495ad1271c2008c86971f8594e8d584c6c7d/_assets/_app/immutable/assets/_page-d3568e4e.css" rel="stylesheet"/> <link href="https://static01.nytimes.com/newsgraphics/outlooks-map-embed/a423495ad1271c2008c86971f8594e8d584c6c7d/_assets/_app/immutable/assets/index-005bbbab.css" rel="stylesheet"/> <link href="https://static01.nytimes.com/newsgraphics/outlooks-map-embed/a423495ad1271c2008c86971f8594e8d584c6c7d/_assets/_app/immutable/start-1b1541ea.js" rel="modulepreload"/> <link href="https://static01.nytimes.com/newsgraphics/outlooks-map-embed/a423495ad1271c2008c86971f8594e8d584c6c7d/_assets/_app/immutable/chunks/index-627b3195.js" rel="modulepreload"/> <link href="https://static01.nytimes.com/newsgraphics/outlooks-map-embed/a423495ad1271c2008c86971f8594e8d584c6c7d/_assets/_app/immutable/chunks/singletons-9380e31e.js" rel="modulepreload"/> <link href="https://static01.nytimes.com/newsgraphics/outlooks-map-embed/a423495ad1271c2008c86971f8594e8d584c6c7d/_assets/_app/immutable/chunks/parse-bee59afc.js" rel="modulepreload"/> <link href="https://static01.nytimes.com/newsgraphics/outlooks-map-embed/a423495ad1271c2008c86971f8594e8d584c6c7d/_assets/_app/immutable/components/layout.svelte-a73b7911.js" rel="modulepreload"/> <link href="https://static01.nytimes.com/newsgraphics/outlooks-map-embed/a423495ad1271c2008c86971f8594e8d584c6c7d/_assets/_app/immutable/components/pages/(publish)/embed/_id_/_page.svelte-3e2afbab.js" rel="modulepreload"/> <link href="https://static01.nytimes.com/newsgraphics/outlooks-map-embed/a423495ad1271c2008c86971f8594e8d584c6c7d/_assets/_app/immutable/chunks/index-6abb8552.js" rel="modulepreload"/> <link href="https://static01.nytimes.com/newsgraphics/outlooks-map-embed/a423495ad1271c2008c86971f8594e8d584c6c7d/_assets/_app/immutable/chunks/timezone-63c3f60d.js" rel="modulepreload"/> </head> <div id="birdkit-body"> <section><div class="weather-embed-container s-8FPYcf-_oSm_"><div class="g-outlooks-themap-wrapper s-8jBQ7E8wNc8K" style=' --g-color-places-risk-none: #efefef; --g-color-places-risk-some: #ffdd8d; --g-color-places-risk-moderate: #f7855d; --g-color-places-risk-high: #b40633; --g-color-legend-risk-none: #efefef; --g-color-legend-risk-some: #ffdd8d; --g-color-legend-risk-moderate: #f7855d; --g-color-legend-risk-high: #b40633; --g-color-fire-weather-legend-elevated: #FFBF7E; --g-color-fire-weather-legend-critical: #FF7F7F; --g-color-fire-weather-legend-extreme: #B33A8F; --g-color-copy-gray: #a6a6a6; --g-font-family-franklin: "nyt-franklin", arial, helvetica, sans-serif; '><div class="title-wrapper s-8jBQ7E8wNc8K"><h2 class="g-outlooks-headline s-8jBQ7E8wNc8K">Forecast risk of fire weather for Friday</h2> </div> <div aria-hidden="true" class="g-outlooks-risk-legend s-EVj7B64DOZGN"><h4 class="s-EVj7B64DOZGN">Risk</h4> <p class="some-risk s-EVj7B64DOZGN"><span class="legend-label">Elevated</span> <span class="legend-box s-EVj7B64DOZGN"></span></p> <p class="moderate-risk s-EVj7B64DOZGN"><span class="legend-box s-EVj7B64DOZGN"></span> <span class="legend-label s-EVj7B64DOZGN">Critical</span></p> <p class="high-risk s-EVj7B64DOZGN"><span class="legend-box s-EVj7B64DOZGN"></span> <span class="legend-label">Extremely Critical</span></p> </div> <div class="s-dt-47-tBeA42" style="--ratio: 0.75; --mobile-ratio: 1.1;"><span class="s-dt-47-tBeA42"></span> </div> </div></div> </section> <cript data-sveltekit-hydrate="197chcf" type="module"> import { start } from "https://static01.nytimes.com/newsgraphics/outlooks-map-embed/a423495ad1271c2008c86971f8594e8d584c6c7d/_assets/_app/immutable/start-1b1541ea.js"; start({ assets: "", env: {"PUBLIC_BIRDKIT_PROJECT_SLUG":"outlooks-map-embed"}, target: document.querySelector('[data-sveltekit-hydrate="197chcf"]').parentNode, version: "1741979771939", hydrate: { node_ids: [0, 5], data: [null,{type:"data",data:{map_props:{"300":{lat:34.5084957162709,lng:-98.04598741320065,zoom:3.2000000000000033,ratio:"1.1"},"600":{lat:35.13220258918089,lng:-95.71900739398423,zoom:3.7500000000000013,ratio:"0.75"},"945":{lat:35.67379911359928,lng:-94.84185926427158,zoom:4.5,ratio:"0.75"}},disable_us_reset_button:true,date:"2025-03-14",day_number:1,hazard:"fire_weather",type:"",bounds:null,hide_credit:false,custom_headline:"Forecast risk of fire weather for Friday",custom_summary:"",credit:"By The New York Times",showDirectLabel:true,doubleClickZoom:true,cooperativeGestures:true},uses:{url:1}}], form: null, error: null, params: {id:"2025-03-14-firefriday"}, route: {"id":"/(publish)/embed/[id]"} } }); </script> </div> </div></section></div><div class="css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn" data-testid="companionColumn-2"><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">In the greater Lubbock and Amarillo areas in Texas, Highway Patrol officials reported more than three dozen car crashes.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Sgt. Cindy Barkley with the Texas Department of Public Safety in Amarillo said that the agency was “inundated right now with crashes.” State Highway 207 between Borger, Texas, and Panhandle, Texas, <a class="css-yywogo" href="https://x.com/TxDOTAmarillo/status/1900616249614221803" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" title="">was closed</a> because of a multivehicle pileup. Preliminary reports showed that three people had died in crashes in the region, Sergeant Barkley said.</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">Images on social media showed a dystopian view of areas near Lubbock and Amarillo. Emergency workers were battling a heavy sandstorm as they went car by car looking for anyone trapped inside. A man taking one of the videos could be heard saying, “You want to go to Mars, this is Mars.”</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">On Thursday, Gov. Greg Abbott of Texas directed the Division of Emergency Management to deploy all necessary resources to the affected areas ahead of the expected wildfires.</p></div><aside aria-label="companion column" class="css-ew4tgv"></aside></div><div data-testid="Dropzone-5"></div><div class="css-s99gbd StoryBodyCompanionColumn" data-testid="companionColumn-3"><div class="css-53u6y8"><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0">“The State of Texas continues to monitor the heightened wildfire threats that are impacting large portions of the state,” he said in a statement. “With dry conditions, wind gusts and low humidity increasing wildfire danger, Texans are encouraged to make an emergency plan, limit any activities that can cause a spark, and heed the guidance of local officials to keep yourself and your family safe.”</p><p class="css-at9mc1 evys1bk0"><em class="css-2fg4z9 e1gzwzxm0">This is a developing story. Check back for updates.</em></p></div><aside aria-label="companion column" class="css-ew4tgv"></aside></div>

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