Ladybug Fire, Pampa, Texas — Map & Containment

Ladybug Fire, Pampa, Texas — NASA satellite

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

Key facts

Source: NIFC

LocationGray County

What's burningShort Grass (1 foot)

How it's behavingMinimal

ComplexityType 5 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 through short grass standing one foot tall on private land, the active Ladybug Fire in Gray County, Texas, has reached 700 acres since igniting on September 12, 2026. Managed by SFS as a Type 5 Incident, the fire is currently exhibiting minimal fire behavior and has achieved 85 percent containment. Despite these favorable conditions, orbiting satellites have detected two heat signatures over the past 48 hours, illustrating the lingering thermal activity across the footprint.

This incident unfolds during the region's typical fire season, which spans from June to October. Nationally, the wildfire landscape tells a broader story: across the country, 3,216,670 hectares have burned so far in 2026, marking a figure that sits 41 percent below the two-decade average.