2022 Texas wildfires
Natural disasters in the USA
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2022 Texas Wildfires are a series of wildfires occurring in 2022 in the state of Texas. They include 371 individual fires occurring throughout Texas.[1] A total of 210,045 acres were burned in the 2022 Texas wildfires according to the Texas A&M Forest Service, with the largest fire being the Eastland Complex fire.[2]
Background
While "fire season" varies every year in Texas, most wildfires occur in between February and April. However, there is an increasing fire danger all year-round. Fire conditions can be exacerbated by drought, strong winds, La Niña, and vegetation growth. Climate change is leading to increased temperatures, lower humidity levels, and drought conditions that are happening more often.[3]
Notable fires
Eastland Complex
| Eastland Complex fires of 2022 | |
|---|---|
| Date(s) | March 17, 2022 |
| Location | Central Texas |
| Statistics | |
| Total fires | 382 |
| Total area | 210,045 acres (85,002 ha) |
| Impacts | |
| Deaths | 1 |
| Non-fatal injuries | 1 |
| Structures destroyed | 50 |
| Damage | Unknown |
On March 17, 2022, a fire complex formed around 3 km (0 mi) SE of Romney.[4] It was claimed to have been started by drought condition and is now 90% contained. The biggest fire so far is the Kidd fire, burning about 42,333 acres.[5]
Smoke from the fires reached as far as Houston.[6]
Crittenberg Complex
A fast wildfire near Fort Cavazos burned about 33,000 acres and was 55% contained.[7]
Borrega Fire
Borrega Fire is the largest Texas fire since the Iron Mountain Fire in May 2011 and currently, 60,000 acres have been burned and was 95% contained.
List of wildfires
The following is a list of fires that burned more than 1,000 acres (400 ha), produced significant structural damage or casualties, or were otherwise notable.
| Name | County | Acres | Start date | Containment date | Notes | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eastland Complex fires | Eastland, Comanche, Calhan | 54,463 | March 17, 2022 | April 8, 2022 | ||
| Ramsey Fire | Brown | 3,456 | March 17, 2022 | April 12, 2022 | ||
| Das Goat Fire | Medina | 1,092 | March 25, 2022 | April 15, 2022 | ||
| Borrega Fire | Kleberg | 51,566 | March 25, 2022 | April 15, 2022 | ||
| Coconut Fire | Wilbarger | 15,000 | May 17, 2022 | June 3, 2022 | ||
| Dempsey Fire | Palo Pinto | 11,598 | June 23, 2022 | July 10, 2022 | [8] | |
| Nethery Road Fire | Kimble | 3,262 | July 10, 2022 | July 21, 2022 | Unknown cause | [9] |
| Nelson Creek Fire | Walker | 1,896 | July 18, 2022 | July 25, 2022 | Unknown cause | [10] |
| Chalk Mountain Fire | Hood | 6,755 | July 18, 2022 | August 2, 2022 | Unknown cause | [11] |
| West Bend Fire | Wichita | 6,522 | July 19, 2022 | July 23, 2022 | Unknown cause | [12] |
