Texas A&M Veterinary Emergency Team receives award for response to Smokehouse Creek Fire
The North American Veterinary Community announced the Texas A&M Veterinary Emergency Team was the recipient of the 2024 NAVC Gives award for its response to the devastating Smokehouse Creek Fire that raged across the Texas Panhandle earlier this year.
The Texas A&M Veterinary Emergency Team (VET) has received an award for its valiant effort to treat hundreds of animals as the historic Smokehouse Creek Fire burned its way across the Texas Panhandle.
The Smokehouse Creek Fire raged for weeks and killed two people, destroyed hundreds of structures and killed countless animals while it burned more than 1 million acres, becoming the largest wildfire in Texas state history.
WATCH: FORT WORTH FIREFIGHTERS DRIVE THROUGH FLAMES TO JOIN BATTLE AGAINST TEXAS WILDFIRE
Drone video shows devastating aftermath from Texas Smokehouse Creek Fire
Drone video over the towns of Stinnett and Fritch, Texas show scorched homes and properties from the Smokehouse Creek Fire. The blaze has consumed more than 1 million acres, becoming the largest in Texas history. (Video credit: Allen Garland via Storyful)(Video from February 2024)
And as word of the wildfire’s explosive growth spread, VET was ready to spring into action to respond to the disaster.
“We were actually in College Station. We were watching when the fire first started,” said Texas A&M VET Director Dr. Deb Zoran. “We have a tendency to really watch the weather and what’s going on in the state very closely. We knew there was a pretty good fire up there. So, we started watching very, very closely and actually started preparing to get ready to go. “
Zoran said it was going to be a massive team effort because of the size of the fire, and two teams started to prepare to respond.
HOW TO WATCH FOX WEATHER
Firefighters battle parts of the reignited Smokehouse Creek fire outside of Miami, Texas on Saturday, Mar 02, 2024.
(Sam Craft/Texas A&M AgriLife Marketing and Communications)
Charred remains of vehicles sit behind a shop that was destroyed by the Smokehouse Creek fire when it burned its way through town last Tuesday on March 02, 2024 in Stinnett, Texas. The fire has burned more than a million acres in the Texas Panhandle, killing at least two people and destroying more than 500 structures. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
( )
A grass fire reigned on Sunday, Mar 03, 2024 endangering the town of Sanford, Texas that had to be evacuated until further notice. (Sam Craft/Texas A&M AgriLife Marketing and Communications)
(Sam Craft/Texas A&M AgriLife Marketing and Communications)
A grass fire reigned on Sunday, Mar 03, 2024 endangering the town of Sanford, Texas that had to be evacuated until further notice.
(Sam Craft/Texas A&M AgriLife Marketing and Communications)
Members of the Texas A&M Forest Service watch as a plane drops fire retardant a portion of the Smokehouse Creek Fire on Saturday, Mar 02, 2024, in Hemphill County, Texas after high winds caused a flare up to reignite the record breaking fire.
(Sam Craft/Texas A&M AgriLife Marketing and Communications)
A road closed sign blocks a burned out gravel road damaged by the Smokehouse Creek Fire Saturday, Mar 02, 2024, in Roberts County, Texas.
(Sam Craft/Texas A&M AgriLife Marketing and Communications)
Flames can be seen engulfing a field as high winds reignited parts of the Smokehouse Creek fire outside of Miami, Texas on Saturday, Mar 02, 2024.
(Sam Craft/Texas A&M AgriLife Marketing and Communications)
A firefighter extinguishes hotspots following the Smokehouse Creek Fire in Miami, Texas, US, on Saturday, March 2, 2024. Texas emergency crews are battling the worst wildfire in state history amid forecasts for several more days of dry, windy weather that will make their task more difficult. Photographer: Jordan Vonderhaar/Bloomberg via Getty Images
( )
STINNETT, TEXAS – MARCH 02: Charred remains of automobiles sit behind a home that was destroyed by the Smokehouse Creek fire when it burned its way through town last Tuesday on March 02, 2024 in Stinnett, Texas. The fire has burned more than a million acres in the Texas Panhandle, killing at least two people and destroying more than 500 structures. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
( )
A view of burnt vehicles after a wildfire in Stinnett, Texas, on March 1, 2024.
(Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu)
A tractor works to control the Smokehouse Creek wildfire in Hutchinson County, Texas, on Feb. 27, 2024.
(Texas A&M Forest Service/X)
TEXAS PANHANDLE – FEBRUARY 27: In this handout photo provided by the Texas A&M Forest Service, fire crosses a road in the Smokehouse Creek fire on the evening of February 27, 2024 in the Texas panhandle.
(Texas A&M Forest Service)
The Smokehouse Creek Fire burns in Hutchinson County, Texas on February 27, 2024. The 200,000-acre firing is burning out of control. (Image: Texas A&M Forest Service)
( )
Photos show smoke from the Smokehouse Creek Fire burning in the Texas Panhandle on February 27, 2024. (Photo: Flower Mound Fire Department)
( )
Photos show smoke from the Smokehouse Creek Fire burning in the Texas Panhandle on February 27, 2024. (Photo: Flower Mound Fire Department)
( )
“One aspect was to support the search and rescue dogs, which were going to be going to search and burned homes,” she said. “And that’s a piece and part of what we do. To protect their feet and protect them.”
The other team was preparing to help the affected livestock.
“We had a team that was preparing to go primarily to help with livestock because we knew this was going to be a large, rural livestock pasture base type of response for cattle and horses, particularly,” Zoran said. “So, two-team sort of effort, two sort of, different types of approaches, but something that’s we’re used to doing.”
TEXAS MAN’S HOME STANDING AFTER NEIGHBORHOOD TORCHED BY WILDFIRE: ‘IT’S ALL ON FIRE BACK THERE, ALL AROUND US’
Texas A&M response captures attention of North American Veterinary Community
Veterinarians deployed to help livestock threatened by massive Texas wildfires
Dr. Deb Zoran, the Director of the Texas A&M Veterinary Emergency Team, joined FOX Weather on Sunday to talk about the immense loss of livestock across the Texas Panhandle after massive wildfires swept across the region and how teams of veterinarians descended upon the area to help in the wake of the disaster. (Video from March 2024)
While the eyes of the world were watching the historic fire burn across the Texas Panhandle, the heroic efforts of the Texas A&M teams captured the attention of the North American Veterinary Community (NAVC).
“We monitor news broadcasts across the country, mostly about anything that has to do in the veterinary space since that’s our area of expertise,” NAVC CEO Gene O’Neill said. “And we followed this story just like everyone else on the local news broadcasts.”
SURVIVAL EXPERT OFFERS TIPS TO PROTECT YOUR HOME FROM WILDFIRES
Maxar satellite imagery of Smokehouse Creek wildfire in Texas (Satellite image ©2024 Maxar Technologies / FOX Weather)
O’Neill said that’s when he heard about the Texas A&M VET response and knew he would be the perfect recipient for the NAVC Gives award.
“We’re trying to recognize and support those who have made a profound difference in their clinic, in their community or in their profession at large,” he said. “And we realized that the Texas A&M team really captured the spirit and intent of what our NAVC Gives program is really all about.”
And that award came with a $10,000 contribution in recognition of the team’s work.
“This NACV Gives program is backed by a $1 million commitment,” O’Neill said. “And the Texas A&M team is the third recipient. It’s a brand new program, we just launched it last year, but they are the third recipient of an award of $10,000 for their efforts to be put to good use for their mission and their vision “
‘SHEEP FIRE’? ‘PIPELINE FIRE’? ‘HAYWIRE FIRE’? HOW WILDFIRES GET THEIR NAMES
Students get real-life experience to help them as they launch veterinary career
Texas farms devastated by wildfire
A Texas family estimated they lost half their animal stock during the massive Smokehouse Creek Wildfire.
For veterinary students in the Texas A&M program, the response to the Smokehouse Creek Fire was a different perspective for them. And their experience is likely to remain with them as they embark on their veterinary journey.
“That’s one of the things that we really, we embrace with our students,” Zoran said. “This is such a good experience for them to have. This real-world, natural disaster experience that we try very, very hard to be careful how we introduce them.”
Zoran said students aren’t just thrown into the situation without preparation or guidance.
“We have them with our team members,” she said. “We’re very careful about where we put them, but it’s a really good experience for them as future veterinarians to be able to help communities on their worst day, to be able to take care of animals with maybe not all their normal things, like they would have in their practice, and to be able to be there when really horrible things happen to people and their animals. To help start the recovery process.”
