Texas Nuclear Plant Open Despite Wildfires

A nuclear weapons plant in the US state of Texas said it would be open as usual after raging wildfires caused it to pause operations and led to evacuations in the area.

Five fires were burning uncontained near the northern city of Amarillo, with the largest blaze -- known as the Smokehouse Creek Fire -- having burnt 300,000 acres, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service.

Satellite imagery showed fires spreading southwards near Amarillo, fanned by strong winds and unseasonably warm temperatures, according to the local office of the National Weather Service.

"The Pantex Plant is open for normal day shift operations; all personnel are to report for duty according to their assigned schedule," plant operators said.

The Pantex facility, located 34 kilometers from Amarillo, assembles and disassembles the United States' nuclear stockpiles, carries out special nuclear material testing and manufactures high explosives.

The plant had earlier announced it was halting operations and had constructed a fire barrier to protect its facilities. It also said only essential staff remained at the facility overnight.

Across Texas, 25 of 31 active fires were under control, Texas A&M Forest Service data showed.

Several towns, some up to 160 kilometers from Amarillo, issued evacuation orders, closing roads and ordering citizens to take shelter at home or in public facilities.

Fires reportedly caused serious damage to buildings in Texas's Hutchinson county.

More than 200 people were sheltering in a church in Fritch, 35 miles from Amarillo, after fires caused them to flee their homes, media reported.

More than 4,000 Texans were left without power as of early Wednesday, according to the US outage tracker PowerOutage.