Texans in the Panhandle recall towering smoke and darkened skies as wildfires crept near their towns [Video]

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MIAMI, Texas — As Roberts County Judge Mitchell Locke worked to make sure everyone evacuated safely from the spreading fires threatening his town, he and two other officials decided to stay put.

“We were talking about who was going to be the last man to go down with the ship,” Locke said. “Once we made the decision to stay, we just dug in and said we’ll be here until the end.”

Miami, with a population of about 500, is one of many small towns in the Texas Panhandle damaged by five wildfires that broke out in the region this week. As the rest of Texas slept early Wednesday, Locke was in his office at the Roberts County Courthouse watching …