Mud Bayou Fire, High Island, Texas

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

Key facts

Source: NIFC

Location1 mile east of High Island, TX

What's burningTall Grass (2.5 feet)

How it's behavingActive

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

JurisdictionUSFWS · Federal land

Cost so far$150,000

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

Burning across Chambers County near High Island, Texas, the Mud Bayou Fire burned for 37 days before finally ending, following its start on September 20, 2026. During its run, the federal wildfire maintained an average daily growth of about 285 acres per day, ultimately charring 10,550 acres of federal land in tall grass averaging 2.5 feet. The response involved 15 personnel managed as a Type 5 Incident by the USFWS, with total costs reaching about $150,000.

This incident unfolded within a regional fire season that typically spans from June to October. On a broader national scale, the total burned area across the country reached 3,457,486 hectares so far in 2026, marking a figure that is 37 percent below the two-decade average. While active fire behavior in tall grass characterized the incident during its progress, response efforts ultimately brought the Mud Bayou Fire to 80 percent containment before its conclusion.