Kurk Fire, Cherokee, Texas — Map & Containment

Kurk Fire, Cherokee, Texas — Sentinel-2 true color

Kurk Fire, Cherokee, 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

Key facts

Source: NIFC

Location6 miles northeast of Cherokee, TX

What's burningShort Grass (1 foot)

How it's behavingMinimalFlanking — Grows along the sides, not head-on.Isolated Torching — Single scattered trees flaring up whole, like torches.

ComplexityType 3 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 13, while the fire was still active. It has since ended — the figures above are current.

Burning across private land in San Saba County, the active Kurk Fire has scorched 824 acres since it ignited on September 8, 2026. Situated six miles northeast of Cherokee, Texas, the Type 3 incident has been burning for five days with an average daily growth of approximately 165 acres per day, now reaching 95 percent containment under the management of a Type 3 Incident Commander and 59 personnel from the SFS.

Current fire behavior on the landscape is characterized as minimal, flanking, and showing isolated torching in short grass fuels measuring about one foot in height. Across the country, 3,213,890 hectares have burned so far in 2026, marking a figure that is 41 percent below the two-decade average for a region where the typical fire season runs from June to October.