TL;DR: Palo Duro Canyon State Park evacuated May 15 as Hunggate and Chocolate Chip fires threatened from the west.

TL;DR: The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department evacuated and closed Palo Duro Canyon State Park on May 15, 2026, as the Hunggate Fire and Chocolate Chip Fire approached from the west.

The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said at 5 p.m. on May 15, 2026, that it was monitoring and responding to the ongoing fire situation in the Texas Panhandle, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Palo Duro Canyon State Park evacuated because of wildfires advancing from the west, including the Hunggate Fire and the Chocolate Chip Fire, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The park closed to entry until at least May 16, with all trails closed, and the department said it would reopen when conditions are safe, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Visitors holding reservations were being contacted and full refunds were to be provided, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Texas Game Wardens and Texas State Park Police were assisting local law enforcement with the situation, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The department directed visitors to check park alerts on the TPWD State Park maps website for the latest updates, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The media contact listed for the statement was TPWD News, Business Hours, 512-389-8030, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department.

Park closure removes a high-risk canyon destination

Palo Duro Canyon State Park was evacuated and closed for entry because approaching fires created a threat to visitors and first responders, according to the Amarillo Globe-News. All trails in the park were closed for safety, according to the Amarillo Globe-News. Visitors with reservations for Friday and Saturday were being contacted, according to the Amarillo Globe-News. The closure eliminated entry into a canyon landscape where smoke, fast-moving fire, and limited egress could trap hikers and campers. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department said the park would reopen only when conditions are safe, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. For outdoor travelers, the action meant cancelling or rerouting any Palo Duro Canyon hiking, camping, mountain biking, or scenic driving plans for at least May 15-16. The department pointed travelers to its State Park maps website park alerts for the latest updates, according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. Checking that alert page before driving toward Canyon, Amarillo, or Wayside prevented wasted travel into a closed perimeter. Travelers who kept reservations elsewhere in the region needed to confirm status directly because conditions were changing through Friday evening.

Hunggate and Chocolate Chip fires merged near I-27

Fire officials said the Hunggate and Chocolate Chip fires merged Friday and were nearing Interstate 27 around 5:21 p.m., according to the Amarillo Globe-News. The Texas Division of Emergency Management said that as of the morning of May 16, the Hunggate Fire had merged with the Chocolate Chip Fire, burning an estimated 14,000 acres combined and 40% contained, according to the Texas Division of Emergency Management. The Texas A&M Forest Service listed a larger separate evening figure for the Hunggate Fire in Randall County at 17,300 acres and 40% contained, noting it had jumped several roads, according to the Amarillo Globe-News. The difference reflects separate reporting times on May 15-16 from state emergency and fire-tracking sources. The merged fire threatened and damaged homes and infrastructure in Randall County and forced local evacuations, according to the Texas Division of Emergency Management. The fire prompted the evacuation of approximately 350 homes and threatened more than 1,245 homes in the surrounding area, according to the Texas Division of Emergency Management. State and local response personnel were actively engaged in containment, suppression, and public safety operations, according to the Texas Division of Emergency Management. For backcountry users, a merged 14,000-acre-plus incident moving east-northeast left no margin for hiking, dispersed camping, or roadside stops near the fire footprint.

Federal grant backs Randall County response

Gov. Greg Abbott announced on May 16, 2026, that the Federal Emergency Management Agency had approved the State of Texas request for a Fire Management Assistance Grant for the Hunggate Fire in Randall County, according to the Texas Division of Emergency Management. The announcement was distributed by the Texas Division of Emergency Management for immediate distribution on May 16, 2026, with contact listed as [email protected], according to the Texas Division of Emergency Management. Gov. Abbott said Texas would provide all necessary resources to ensure the well-being of those affected by wildfires in the panhandle area, according to the Texas Division of Emergency Management. Gov. Abbott thanked the Trump Administration for swiftly approving the grant to support response efforts, according to the Texas Division of Emergency Management. Gov. Abbott urged Texans to limit activities that can cause a spark and to heed guidance from state and local officials to prevent additional wildfires and protect themselves and loved ones, according to the Texas Division of Emergency Management. The grant approval signaled that the Randall County incident met federal cost-share thresholds for fire management assistance. For residents and travelers, the message reinforced avoiding spark-producing outdoor activity during the warning period.

Evacuations lifted Friday night after urgent moves

As of 9:21 p.m. on May 15, all evacuation orders had been lifted, according to the Randall County Sheriff's Office as reported by the Amarillo Globe-News. Around 9 p.m., all evacuation orders were lifted for River Falls, authorities said, according to the Amarillo Globe-News. Earlier Friday, a voluntary evacuation was issued by the Amarillo Office of Emergency Management for residents near Cemetery Road, Circle J Road, and the River Falls Airport area in Randall County, according to the Amarillo Globe-News. A temporary evacuation shelter was located at the Cole Community Center at 300 16th St. in Canyon, according to the Amarillo Globe-News. The River Falls airport was also being evacuated, according to the Amarillo Globe-News. At 3:56 p.m., eastbound FM 1151 was closed to Rocker K Road, and the Randall County Sheriff's Office said residents in Pullman Acres needed to prepare to evacuate because of approaching fires, according to the Amarillo Globe-News. First responders worked a second straight day to contain fast-spreading fires while residents faced smoke, dry and hot weather, road detours, evacuations, and uncertainty across parts of the Panhandle including near Amarillo and Canyon on Friday, May 15, according to the Amarillo Globe-News. The rapid shift from prepare-to-evacuate to lifted orders showed how quickly wind-driven fire lines changed exposure for neighborhoods and travelers on local roads.

Highways closed as fire jumped I-27

The Hunggate Fire at one point shut down both directions of I-27 south of Amarillo after the blaze jumped the highway and smoke created dangerously low visibility, according to the Amarillo Globe-News. The Texas Department of Transportation Amarillo office said I-27 was closed in both directions from State Highway 217 to Hungate Road, where the fire jumped the interstate and caused low visibility, according to the Amarillo Globe-News. At 8 p.m., I-27 reopened to traffic, but the service roads remained closed until further notice, according to the Amarillo Globe-News. TxDOT said US 87 was closed from just south of Canyon to Hungate Road, while the Randall County Sheriff's Office described the closure as from Canyon to FM 1714 because of fires and low visibility, according to the Amarillo Globe-News. TxDOT said in Armstrong County, FM 1258 and FM 1151 were closed at SH 207, according to the Amarillo Globe-News. Texas Highway 168 was among roads impacted by the fire, according to the Amarillo Globe-News. Due to traffic congestion, the Amarillo Fire Department asked people to avoid the Claude Highway area, identified as FM 1151, if possible, according to the Amarillo Globe-News. The sheriff's office also asked residents to avoid the area near Circle J Road while agencies worked a structure fire, according to the Amarillo Globe-News. The public was asked to avoid the area if possible to allow emergency crews to operate safely and efficiently, according to the Amarillo Globe-News. For overland travelers, the detours meant delaying Panhandle transit and never driving through dense smoke.

Ten-fire outbreak strained Panhandle crews

The Texas A&M Forest Service incident map showed around 10 active fires in the Texas Panhandle and South Plains, according to the Amarillo Globe-News. As of 9 p.m. on May 15, the Texas A&M Forest Service listed the Western Fire in Randall County at an estimated 800 acres and 80% contained, according to the Amarillo Globe-News. The same update listed the Roman Fire in Hartley County at 2,000 acres and 75% contained, the Line Fire in Oldham County at 10,000 acres and 75% contained, the Cherokee Fire in Briscoe County at 2,500 acres and 70% contained, and the Chainey Mountain Fire in Hall County at 600 acres and 40% contained, according to the Amarillo Globe-News. Fully contained fires listed included the Shifty Fire at 5,277 acres in northern Potter County, the McBride Fire at 2,192 acres in Carson County, the Indigo Fire at 50 acres in Oldham County, the Baylor Creek Fire at 195 acres in Childress County, and the Crooked Cook Fire at 1,388 acres in Motley County, according to the Amarillo Globe-News. Nearly 35 power outages were impacting close to 4,500 customers at one point, according to the Xcel Energy outage map as reported by the Amarillo Globe-News. The area faced another round of severe storms threatening more fires and flare-ups from lightning and wind, according to the Amarillo Globe-News. The breadth of incidents meant mutual-aid crews, aircraft, and engines were spread across multiple counties.

Fire weather kept spread risk extreme

The National Weather Service Amarillo office said in a fire warning at 5:25 p.m. that multiple dangerous fires were located in Randall and western Armstrong County and were moving rapidly east-northeast at 3 to 5 mph, according to the Amarillo Globe-News. Areas impacted included Canyon, Lake Tanglewood, Palo Duro Canyon, far southeast Amarillo, and Wayside, according to the Amarillo Globe-News. In an earlier warning at 2:21 p.m., dangerous wildfires were located nine miles northwest of Happy, or 13 miles south of Canyon, moving rapidly east-northeast at 3 to 5 mph, according to the Amarillo Globe-News. Friday morning brought a warning for a dangerous wildfire spreading rapidly in Randall County, potentially impacting Canyon, Umbarger, Happy, and Palo Duro Canyon, according to the Amarillo Globe-News. Fire danger remained critical Friday with a red flag warning after Thursday's storms brought multiple fires, according to the Amarillo Globe-News. A red flag warning remained in effect until 9 p.m. Friday for the Texas-Oklahoma Panhandle region because of gusty winds, dry conditions, and potential dry lightning, according to the National Weather Service in Amarillo as reported by the Amarillo Globe-News. A fire weather watch was in effect Saturday afternoon and evening because of expected hot, dry, and breezy conditions across the Panhandle and South Plains region, according to the Amarillo Globe-News. Forecast details listed southwest winds 10 to 15 mph gusting to 25 mph, relative humidity as low as 8 percent, temperatures in the upper 90s, and impacts stating any fires that develop would have potential to spread rapidly and outdoor burning is not recommended, according to the Amarillo Globe-News. For prepared adventurers, the practical lesson was to postpone open flames, avoid parking on dry grass, and keep evacuation routes fueled and mapped.

Sources referenced