The Texas House Investigative Committee on the Panhandle Wildfires held meetings this week in Pampa to identify breakdowns in communication and the region's access to necessary firefighting resources during the state's response to the wildfires that ravaged the region and had a devastating impact on the rural counties of Hemphill, Hutchison Robertson, and Gray County.
The Legislative Committee, commissioned by Speaker Dade Phelan, was led by Chairman Ken King of Canadian. Representative King's hometown and family ranch were affected by the recent wildfires, which burned over one million acres this time, making it the largest wildfire in US history.
In his opening statement, King said, "The committee's goal is to mitigate the next disaster, not to litigate the past." He said testimony over the three-day hearing would focus on identifying the breakdowns and creating a path forward and that "The Texas Panhandle Matters."
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