Updated: 8/13/2026
Xcel Energy, the Minnesota-based power company serving our fellow Texans in the Texas Panhandle who suffered the relentless onslaught of smoke and flames last February, has been sued. Local citizens are taking legal action against the power company after Xcel admitted involvement in what would become the largest wildfire in Texas history.
Why Choose Callender Bowlin As a Wildfire Lawyer?
You can trust that the fire damage and insurance claims attorneys at Callender Bowlin can competently help you recover from any personal injury or property loss that you suffered in the Smokehouse Creek Fire.
Table of Contents
- Why Choose Callender Bowlin As a Wildfire Lawyer?
- How Texas-Based Wildfire Lawyers at Callender Bowlin Can Help With Your Claim
- How Did This Wildfire Disaster Occur?
- Xcel Energy Admits Involvement in Igniting The Smokehouse Creek Wildfire
- Do I Need To File a Lawsuit?
- What Financial Compensation May I Seek?
- Contact a Smokehouse Creek Fire Lawyer Now
How Texas-Based Wildfire Lawyers at Callender Bowlin Can Help With Your Claim
If you have suffered injury or sustained property damage directly as a result of the Smokehouse Creek wildfire, you may be entitled to compensation. Contact the wildfire lawyers at Callender Bowlin through our secure online form or by calling (713) 955-9719.
How Did This Wildfire Disaster Occur?
The Smokehouse Creek fire, starting on February 26, 2024, near Stinnett, Texas, became a historic wildfire, impacting the northeastern Texas panhandle and western Oklahoma, particularly Hemphill and Roberts counties.
By March 16, it had consumed over 1,000,000 acres, marking it as Texas’s largest wildfire since 1988 and the biggest in the U.S. for 2024. Expanding rapidly, crossing into Oklahoma and prompting evacuations. It was detected early by satellite.
The fire’s rapid growth, fueled by strong winds, led to a disaster declaration affecting 60 counties.
As of March 16, 2024, the town of Canadian, Texas, has seen at least 30 homes obliterated by the Smokehouse Creek fire, while in Hutchinson County, Texas, the count exceeds 100 homes.
The aftermath of the fire has resulted in over 11,000 individuals facing power outages due to the devastation of power lines and various infrastructure components. Tragically, three lives were lost in the wildfire.
Many Texan ranchers are in need of hay and feed due to the scorched lands.
What Caused the Smokehouse Creek Fire
The fire ignited on February 26, 2024, near Stinnett, and grew into the largest wildfire in recorded Texas history, burning more than a million acres across the Panhandle and into western Oklahoma. It destroyed homes and ranchland, killed thousands of head of livestock, and was linked to the deaths of three people. State investigators traced the ignition to a decayed Xcel Energy utility pole that broke in high winds and dropped its lines into dry grass. Xcel has acknowledged that its equipment was involved in the ignition while disputing that it acted negligently in maintaining its infrastructure.
Where Recovery Stands Now
In the years since the fire, accountability has moved through the courts and formal claims processes. Xcel set up a voluntary claims process for affected property owners and has reached settlements on a large share of the claims brought against it, while dozens of separate lawsuits have been filed. In December 2025, the Texas Attorney General filed suit against the utility over the fire, and in early 2026 a Texas court entered an agreed injunction requiring Xcel to replace at-risk utility poles in wildfire-prone areas of the Panhandle. Settlement figures and case counts continue to change as the litigation develops.
What this means for you is that recovery remains active, and an insurer’s or utility’s first offer is not necessarily the full measure of what you lost. Our wildfire and first-party insurance attorneys can help you weigh any offer against your other legal options before you accept it.
Going against insurance companies alone may not be advisable. Our experienced insurance attorneys are seasoned negotiators and trial lawyers. We’re not afraid to take your claim to court. Contact us for a free case evaluation. Let’s talk.
What Financial Compensation May I Seek?
Damaged property or personally injured? You may be entitled to compensation. The following are examples of ways you may seek financial compensation after a wildfire in Texas:
- Loss of use of property
- Agricultural crop damage
- Livestock loss
- Reforestation costs
- Diminished water quality or availability
- Loss of consortium
- Loss of livestock
- Future medical expenses for long-term conditions
- Costs for psychological counseling
- Evacuation expenses
- Damage to vehicles and equipment
- Increased insurance premiums
Contact a Smokehouse Creek Fire Lawyer Now
Callender Bowlin is a local, Houston-based first-party insurance firm of Texans proudly serving Texans. Our compassionate, experienced insurance attorneys are here to fight for your claim. Texas wildfire attorneys Josh Bowlin and Mark Callender understand what you are going through – the loss, the grief, and not knowing where to turn. Our mission is to bring justice to you and your family through aggressive representation by seeking maximum compensation.
Reach out to our experienced Texas Smokehouse Creek fire attorneys via our secure online form or by calling (713) 955-9719. Don’t wait to file your claim – call now.
Callender Bowlin LLP
4299 San Felipe St # 300
Houston, TX 77027
(713) 955-9719
