Star Lake Fire, Stowell, Texas — Map & Containment

Star Lake Fire, Stowell, Texas — Sentinel-2 true color

Star Lake Fire, Stowell, 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

Location16 miles southeast of Stowell, TX

CauseNatural

What's burningBrush (2 feet)

How it's behavingMinimalSmoldering — Burning without flame, in the ground or in roots. Can flare up days later.Creeping — Moves slowly, hugging the ground.

ComplexityType 4 IncidentOfficial scale from 5 to 1: a Type 1 is the most complex in the country.

JurisdictionUSFWS · Federal land

Cost so far$155,000

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

Summary written on Sep 22, while the fire was still active. It has since ended — the figures above are current.

Burning across federal lands in Jefferson County, Texas, the Star Lake Fire has scorched 16,412 acres since its natural ignition on September 11, 2026. Located 16 miles southeast of Stowell, the blaze is now 100 percent contained after an 11-day campaign that saw an average daily growth of approximately 1,492 acres. Satellites are picking up five heat detections over the past 48 hours, reflecting the lingering thermal footprint of the incident.

Fire behavior is currently characterized as minimal, smoldering, and creeping through two-foot brush. Managed under a Type 4 Incident by a Type 4 Incident Commander with the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the response operation involved nine personnel and accumulated a total cost of $155,000.

This incident unfolds during the region's typical fire season, which runs from June to October. On a broader scale, the national landscape shows a different trend: 3,259,929 hectares have burned across the country so far in 2026, marking a figure 41% below the two-decade average.