An image included in a Facebook post purports to show the recent Smokehouse Creek fire in Texas.

Verdict: False

The claim is false. The image predates the current fire and appeared in Texas Monthly in August 2017.

Fact Check:

The Smokehouse Creek fire began on Feb. 26 in Canadian, Texas, according to The New York Times. The cause of the blaze is currently unknown, the outlet reported.

The image purports to show the recent Smokehouse Creek fire in Texas and appears alongside three other images in the Facebook post. In the image, which is the first of the four in the series, a fire can be seen blazing through a grassy landscape as nearby cattle flee.

The claim is false, however, as the image predates the current fire and appeared in Texas Monthly in August 2017. The image is featured as the cover photo on a piece called “Love and Loss on the Great Plains.” The piece highlights a fire that occurred at Franklin Ranch, which killed at least six people and caused farmers “at least $21 million in agricultural damages,” according to San Antonio Express-News.

Likewise, Check Your Fact did not find the image referenced in any credible news reports about the Smokehouse Creek fire in Texas. In fact, the opposite is true. Both USA Today and Politifact reported the image appeared in Texas Monthly in August 2017 and is not linked to the recent fire.

Additionally, the image is neither referenced on the Texas A&M Forest Service’s website nor its associated social media accounts.

Although the Texas A&M Forest Service did not reference the Facebook image at all, it did share a graphic on X, the social media platform previously called Twitter, indicating the Smokehouse Creek fire is the second largest in the state’s history.

“On February 26, the Smokehouse Creek Fire in Hutchinson County ignited in rough terrain and unfavorable weather conditions. Today, the fire is an estimated 500,000 acres, making it the second largest wildfire in Texas history,” the forestry service wrote.

On February 26, the Smokehouse Creek Fire in Hutchinson County ignited in rough terrain and unfavorable weather conditions. Today, the fire is an estimated 500,000 acres, making it the second largest wildfire in Texas history. pic.twitter.com/1txF4dLmD8

— Texas A&M Forest Service (@TXForestService) February 28, 2024

Since the forestry service’s Feb. 26 X post, the fire has grown to become the largest in “recorded Texas history,” an information officer said, according to USA Today.

Check Your Fact has contacted Texas Monthly for comment and will update this piece accordingly if one is received.