Fire chief in Texas city hit hard by wildfires dies while fighting a structure blaze

FRITCH, Texas (AP) — Authorities say a Texas fire chief whose small town was among the hardest hit last week by historic blazes sweeping across the Panhandle died Tuesday while fighting a structure fire. The Hutchinson County Office of Emergency Management said in a statement that Fritch Fire Chief Zeb Smith was the first at the scene of the fire and died from his injuries after being transported to a local hospital. It was unclear how the fire began or whether it was related to wildfires that firefighters are still trying to extinguish across the Panhandle, including the largest wildfire in Texas history.