Firefighting crews battled to control a wildfire that has become the largest on record in Texas, scorching over 1 million acres (404,686 hectares) of grassland and timber, and causing destruction in small towns across the Panhandle region.

Named the Smokehouse Creek Fire, the blaze doubled in size since Wednesday, with only 3% containment on Thursday morning, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.

Firefighters utilized a brief respite in the strong winds prevalent in the sparsely populated area to construct barriers and address hot spots with downed trees and thick grass.

In Canadian, a town approximately 100 miles (161 km) northeast of Amarillo, Jason Wilhelm, 36, used a frontloader to clear the lot where his house once stood.

The dwelling, shared with his wife and five children, was destroyed a few days earlier, Reuters reported.

Despite the devastation, Wilhelm’s wife managed to salvage pictures, cash, and sentimental items before the fire swept through on Monday, leaving behind only charred grass and blackened trees.

On Thursday, rain and snow provided a brief “shot of moisture” to the region before the air dries out on Friday, with high winds anticipated to return over the weekend, reaching gusts of up to 40 miles per hour by Sunday, according to Steve Hannah, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service based in Amarillo.

The Smokehouse Creek Fire has now consumed 1.08 million acres, equivalent to nearly 1,700 square miles, surpassing a 2006 fire that burned about 900,000 acres as the most extensive in Texas history.

Written by B.C. Begley