Smell Smoke Last Night In Amarillo? Was It A Fire In Oklahoma?
Last night (4/5/22), I stepped outside to get something from my car. The smell of something burning was impossible to ignore. I looked everywhere for signs of a fire, but couldn't see anything.
So where was the smell of smoke coming from in Amarillo last night?
A Wildfire On April 5, 2022 Could Be The Culprit
Yesterday there was a grass fire in Beaver County that required several departments to fight. Looking through social media posts, you can find photos and videos from some of those fire departments that responded.
From the looks of the posts, and from various reports, it was a massive wildfire that crews fought.
The Booker Fire Department had several photos and a lot of information regarding the fire. Apparently, the smoke was visible from Guymon and Hooker, according to their post.
Is this where the smell was coming from last night? The Potter County Sheriff's Department took to social media to explain the smell after getting several phone calls, and this is what they point to.
So, that should be it...right? Well, maybe.
Smoke Coming From The Street Drains In Amarillo
Last night, according to a press release put out by the Amarillo Fire Department, crews went out to investigate smoke coming from the street drains in the 3200 block of SW 26th. Yes, you read that right. Smoke was coming from the street drains.
The press release states:
Fire units arrived and found a large amount of black turbulent smoke showing from multiple street drains in the area.
Crews would access a large drain pipe to investigate and search for any one who might be occupying said drain pipe. While they were able to locate a "rubbish fire," they didn't happen to find anyone occupying the pipe.
They opened up some hydrants, let the water flow into the drains, and the fire was extinguished.
This all happened around 8 PM. So maybe that's what you were smelling.
A Big Thank You To All Of The Texas Panhandle's Fire Fighters
These aren't the only fires that burned last night. Comment sections of social media posts have citizens all referencing other fires that supposedly burned in the panhandle last night.
So no matter which fire you were smelling when you stepped outside last night, a tip of the hat and giant thank you to all of the area's fire fighters. Thank you for your hard work and dedication to keeping us all safe.