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Casey Lake Fire (Texas)

Ended · 95% containedCrews stopped it spreading on 95% of the perimeter. Not the same as out, and not 95% burned. · 443 acres (179 hectares) · Started · Updated

This fire in numbers3 days
179Hectares443Acres3Days it lasted
Containment95%

Started on Aug 18, 2026.

United States todayLive
67Active366Hotspots 48h870 kHectares
Last 7 days · steadyHow many named wildfires were burning on each of the last 7 days. It rises when there are more than on the earlier days.
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Casey Lake Fire (Texas) — Sentinel-2 true color Casey Lake Fire (Texas) — Sentinel-2 SWIR (fuego) True view Fire view
⟷
True view (left): as the eye sees it.
Fire view (right): infrared (SWIR), sees through smoke and brings out the heat.

🟢 green = vegetation
🟤 brown = already burned
🟠 orange = fire right now

Drag to compare: normal photo on the left, heat brought out on the right.

Green: vegetationBrown: already burnedOrange: fire right nowSentinel-2 · Copernicus

Red dots: heat detected by satellite in the last 48h. NASA FIRMS

Quick facts

Location
2 miles north of Albany, TX
People working on it
47 people
Complexity
Type 5 IncidentOfficial scale from 5 to 1: a Type 1 is the most complex in the country.
What's burning
Brush (2 feet)
How it's behaving
Minimal
Jurisdiction
SFS · Private land
Glossary: what each term means
Minimal

Barely moving. Low, thin smoke.

Smoldering

Burning without flame, in the ground or in roots. Can flare up days later.

Creeping

Moves slowly, hugging the ground.

Moderate

Spreads with low, steady flames.

Active

Spreading evenly and steadily, with visible flame.

Extreme

Fast and unpredictable.

Running

Runs along the ground much faster than a person walks.

Flanking

Grows along the sides, not head-on.

Backing

Moves against the wind or downhill, which makes it slower.

Crowning

Climbs into the treetops and jumps crown to crown. It can't be attacked from the ground.

Short Crown Runs

Climbs into the crowns in bursts and drops back down.

Torching

Whole trees flaring up like torches.

Isolated Torching

Single scattered trees flaring up whole, like torches.

Group Torching

Whole clumps of trees flaring at once.

Spotting

Wind carries embers through the air and starts new fires ahead of the front: that is how a fire jumps a road or a firebreak.

Wind Driven Runs

The wind pushes it in long runs in one direction.

The ones marked ● are the behaviors that make a fire harder to stop. They are not a warning or an instruction: they are the description written by the agency in charge. For decisions, always follow your emergency services.

Burning through six-foot chaparral in Shackelford, Texas, the active Casey Lake Fire has consumed 200 acres since it started on August 18, 2026. Managed as a Type 5 Incident by SFS, the wildfire currently displays moderate fire behavior on private land.

The current incident unfolds during the region's typical fire season, which runs from June to October. Across the country, 2,929,609 hectares have burned so far in 2026, marking a figure that is 47 percent below the two-decade average.

In context

This wildfire burned in Texas for 2 days. In total it burned about 443 acres — around 1.8 km².

In the Northern Hemisphere, wildfire activity usually peaks during the warm, dry months — roughly May through October.

The bigger picture in United States

Across United States, roughly 3,321,855 hectares have burned so far in 2026 — 39% below the two-decade average. Data from Copernicus GWIS.

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Community reports

Reports from people near the fire · unverified

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