A swift-moving wildfire ripping through the Texas Panhandle has escalated into the second-largest blaze in state history.

The massive fire is causing evacuations and triggering power outages as firefighters struggle to contain the growing flames.

The blaze is part of a cluster of fires that burned out of control and threatened rural towns, where local officials spent Tuesday night closing down roads and encouraging residents to leave their homes.

The biggest of the blazes grew to nearly 2,000 square kilometers.

According to authorities, the wildfire jumped into parts of the  neighboring state of Oklahoma and remained completely uncontained as dawn broke Wednesday.