Grover Bend Fire, Benjamin, Texas

Yesterday's image: fire shows in orange and red. NASA MODIS

Key facts

Source: NIFC

Location4 miles southeast of Benjamin, TX

What's burningShort Grass (1 foot)

How it's behavingModerate

ComplexityType 4 IncidentOfficial scale from 5 to 1: a Type 1 is the most complex in the country.

JurisdictionSFS · 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.

The story so far

Summary written on Sep 28, while the fire was still active. It has since ended — the figures above are current.

Burning across 321 acres of private land featuring one-foot short grass, the Grover Bend Fire near Benjamin, Texas, in Knox County has reached full containment at 100 percent under a Type 4 Incident management structure. Satellites detected six heat signatures over the 48 hours surrounding the incident, reflecting the operational footprint of the blaze as ground crews worked the area.

Fire behavior on the scene was observed as moderate while burning through the short grass fuels. A total of 29 personnel deployed by the SFS managed the response efforts, operating as a Type 4 IC to bring the incident to a successful conclusion following its start on September 27, 2026.

This incident unfolds during the region's typical fire season, which runs from June to October. Nationally, the broader context shows 3,285,106 hectares burned so far in 2026, tracking 40% below the two-decade average.