Rafter 4B Fire, Texas (2026) — Map & Containment

This fire in numbersDay 1

202Hectares500Acres1Days burning

Containment0%

Started on Sep 26, 2026. 100% of the perimeter still to contain.

United States todayLive

78Active891Hotspots 48h1.0 MHectares

Last 7 days · falling

All United States wildfires

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

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

Quick facts

Location: Schleicher County
Complexity: Type 5 IncidentOfficial scale from 5 to 1: a Type 1 is the most complex in the country.
How it's behaving: Active
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 across private land in Schleicher County, Texas, the active Rafter 4B Fire has grown to 500 acres with zero containment reported. Active fire behavior is currently being managed by the Texas A&M Forest Service as a Type 5 Incident.

Orbiting satellites have registered seven heat detections near the perimeter over the past 48 hours, tracking the ongoing spread of the blaze since it started on September 26, 2026.

This incident unfolds during the region's typical fire season, which runs from June to October. Nationally, the broader wildfire landscape shows 3,286,050 hectares burned so far in 2026, tracking 40% below the two-decade average.

In context

This wildfire has been burning in Texas for less than a day. So far it has affected roughly 500 acres — about 2.0 km². Crews report no containment yet, so the fire can still spread.

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