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Whitetail Fire (Texas)

Ended · 85% contained · 494 acres · started 2026-08-28 · updated 2026-08-30

Whitetail Fire (Texas) — Sentinel-2 true color Whitetail Fire (Texas) — Sentinel-2 SWIR (fuego) True color Fire (SWIR)
True color (left): as the eye sees it.
Infrared / SWIR (right): sees through smoke.

🟢 green = vegetation
🟤 red/brown = burned
🟠 orange = active fire

Imagery: Sentinel-2 (Copernicus). Drag to compare smoke vs. infrared.

Heat detections: NASA FIRMS (last 48h).

Quick facts

Location
13 Miles W from Rocksprings, TX
Personnel
4
Complexity
Type 5 Incident
Fuel
Tall Grass (2.5 feet)
Behavior
Moderate, Flanking
Jurisdiction
SFS · Private land

Burning across 494 acres of private land in Edwards County, Texas, the Whitetail Fire is located 13 miles west of Rocksprings and has maintained an average daily growth of approximately 247 acres per day over two days of burning. Fire behavior is currently characterized as moderate with flanking activity, fueled by 2.5-foot tall grass. SFS personnel numbering just 4 individuals are managing the incident as a Type 5 Incident with a Type 5 IC.

Despite these active conditions, firefighters have successfully brought the fire to 85% containment. Satellites have detected 6 heat signatures in the area over the past 48 hours, indicating the extent of the spread near the front. The fire season in this region typically runs from June to October.

Nationwide, the broader wildfire context shows that 3,133,897 hectares have burned so far in 2026, tracking 43% below the two-decade average.

In context

This wildfire burned in Texas for 2 days. In total it burned about 494 acres — around 2.0 km².

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

The bigger picture in United States

Across United States, roughly 3,178,795 hectares have burned so far in 2026 — 42% below the two-decade average. Data from Copernicus GWIS.

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