CANADIAN, Texas (NEWSnet/AP) — The utility provider Xcel Energy said Thursday that its facilities appeared to have played a role in igniting a massive wildfire in the Texas Panhandle.
Texas officials have said they are still investigating the cause of the fire.
The Smokehouse Creek fire, the largest blaze in state history that began Feb. 26, has burned about 1,700 square miles, destroyed hundreds of structures and killed two people.
The Minnesota-based company said in a statement that it disputes claims that “it acted negligently” in maintaining and operating infrastructure.
“Based on currently available information, Xcel Energy acknowledges that its facilities appear to have been involved in an ignition of the Smokehouse Creek fire,” the company said in a statement.
The fire was among a cluster of fires ignited in the rural Panhandle last week and prompted evacuation orders in a handful of small communities.
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