Texas officials on Thursday filed a lawsuit against electric utility Xcel Energy over the 2024 Smokehouse Creek fire in the Panhandle, which killed three people, destroyed more than 15,000 head of cattle, and burned over one million acres across several counties.
The Texas Attorney General’s Office submitted the civil action in a district court covering the affected Panhandle area, naming Xcel Energy and related entities as defendants in connection with the wildfire.
State lawyers alleged that Xcel Energy’s equipment caused or contributed to the ignition and spread of the Smokehouse Creek fire, identified as the largest wildfire in Texas history.
The petition stated that the fire began in late February 2024 during dry, windy conditions and quickly moved across rural areas in the northern Panhandle.
The complaint claimed that Xcel Energy failed to properly maintain and inspect its power lines and related equipment, allowing sparks or other ignition sources to contact surrounding vegetation.
Damage reports included in the filing documented destruction of homes, ranch structures, fencing, grazing land, and other property across the more than one million acres burned. The fire killed three residents in the Panhandle and caused the loss of over 15,000 head of cattle, according to preliminary assessments from agriculture and emergency management agencies.
The State of Texas requested civil penalties, reimbursement for firefighting and emergency response costs, and compensation for environmental and economic damages. State attorneys also asked the court to require Xcel Energy to implement measures to reduce wildfire risk, including enhanced inspections, vegetation management, and stricter equipment maintenance programs.
