Lightning Creek Fire, Texas (2026)

This fire in numbersDay 2

101Hectares250Acres2Days burning

Containment50%

Started on Sep 22, 2026. 50% of the perimeter still to contain.

United States todayLive

85Active451Hotspots 48h1.2 MHectares

Last 7 days · steady

All United States wildfires

Lightning Creek Fire (Texas) — NASA satellite

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

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

Active fires nearby1 · 100 km

39KM SWSeven Fire480 acres · 95% contained

Within 100 kmSee on map →

Quick facts

Location: Coleman County
Complexity: Type 5 IncidentOfficial scale from 5 to 1: a Type 1 is the most complex in the country.
What's burning: Short Grass (1 foot)
How it's behaving: Moderate
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 short grass measuring one foot in height on private land in Coleman, Texas, the active Lightning Creek Fire has consumed 250 acres since its start on September 22, 2026. Managing the incident is the SFS as a Type 5 Incident, directing suppression efforts while the fire exhibits moderate behavior with five percent containment.

This incident unfolds during the region's typical fire season, which runs from June to October. Meanwhile, the broader landscape reflects a below-average year for wildfire activity, with 3,266,178 hectares burned across the country so far in 2026, marking a 40 percent decrease compared to the two-decade average.

In context

This wildfire has been burning in Texas for 1 day. So far it has affected roughly 250 acres — about 1.0 km². About 50% of the perimeter is contained — over half is secured, though hotspots remain.

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