In late February 2024, the Smokehouse Creek fire, the largest wildfire in Texas history, began sweeping across the Panhandle. By the time the blaze was contained, it had burned over one million acres, destroyed 138 homes, killed over 15,000 head of cattle, and taken the lives of two people.

A Betenbough Homes builder in Amarillo, Booker Huval, grew up visiting family in the areas hit the hardest. While his home in north Amarillo was never in jeopardy, the smoke in his neighborhood was thick from fires that were roughly forty miles away. He couldn’t imagine what those in the immediate path of the fire were going through, and he wanted to help.

Booker saw Betenbough’s core value of generous stewardship in action through giving team meetings, the company’s response to the Perryton tornado in 2023, and multiple other occasions of generosity, so he knew there was a precedent to get involved.

“We’re so prone to wanting to bless others and not just put it in a storehouse. We want to be generous on every occasion like the Bible says.”
– Booker Huval

He spoke to Bryan Watson (general manager), Andrew Amstutz (construction manager), and the Amarillo connections specialist; they decided to gather and deliver supplies to communities affected by the fires. They also reached out to their team members and trade partners. Other regions got involved as well. The response was huge.

In total, the donations amounted to three trucks and one twenty-foot enclosed trailer filled with necessities such as baby formula, dog food, non-perishable snacks, soap, deodorant, and bottled water. Booker, his wife and children, Amarillo warranty manager Bobby Sanders, and Amarillo builders Kody Graser and Harald Beran personally delivered these supplies to Celebration Church in Fritch and The Dome Civic and Convention Center in Borger.

Booker recalled that while his team was unloading supplies in Fritch, a mom with young children came in for assistance. The family looked like they’d had a rough few days, but the kids’ faces lit up when they saw what Booker called happy food—fruit snacks and other child-friendly treats.

Booker couldn’t help but think of his own children. What if he and his family were the ones who had endured the trauma of a fire, evacuation, and displacement? How would he feel knowing strangers drove hours to deliver the items they needed to get through such hardship?

“Since I have family in those communities, it felt like I was helping people who were family,” Booker shared.

The Smokehouse Creek Fire raged for three weeks before it was contained. Driving through the Texas Panhandle revealed a dismal sight with nothing but charred earth as far as the eye could see. But just like spring rain and sunshine brought new growth to the burned landscape, generosity brought hope and restoration to a community. Andrew summed it up best when he said, “Giving back brought unity to the team, especially when they joined together and then watched other regions and trade partners join in, as well. It created an atmosphere where ‘We’re all in this together.’” Because we are.