FRITCH, Texas – As the largest wildfire in Texas history continues to rage in the panhandle, hundreds of firefighters are rushing to help put out the flames.
Many of those firefighters are coming from SE Texas. The Houston Fire Department has dispatched seven firefighters and two trucks. Harris County departments in total have sent more than a dozen crew members.
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The crews often work long days with little time off.
That’s why one restaurant in the Texas Panhandle wants to take one thing off their plate, but putting a warm meal on a plate in front of them.
Chris’s Kitchen in Fritch, a small town about 45 minutes north of Amarillo, served up a warm, home-cooked meal for firefighters from the Houston-area on Thursday evening.
From burgers piled nearly a foot high, to homemade chips and salsa, firefighters were given enough food to match the thanks this family has for their work.
“Several years ago, my dad started feeding all of the first responders. Every time there was a fire, tornado or anything like that,” said owner of Chris’s Kitchen, Paula Garton. Because these guys work tireless hours, they work 40 plus hours, but without even being able to go home. So, anytime I get a chance to send out a 40 cheeseburgers, we’ll send them out to the lake or wherever they’re at. And it’s just something we decided to carry on.”
Her team cooked up dinner for roughly 15 firefighters representing the Houston Fire Department, City of Stafford Fire Department and others in the Houston area.
Garton said one of the restaurant’s employees lost their home to the wildfire.
It just drives her to give back even more to those who dropped everything at their homes to protect this community from the largest wildfire the Lonestar State has ever seen.
“I was just raised to be a giving person and that’s why they they deserve it because they work so hard. They’re protecting all of us. And just what we’re supposed to do,” Garton said. “We’re feeding all of our Xcel Energy guys, our electric guys, the gas people, the phone people.”