2025 Texas wildfires
Natural disasters in the USA
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The 2025 Texas wildfires were a series of wildfires that burned throughout the U.S. state of Texas.
| 2025 Texas wildfires | |
|---|---|
Smoke from the Crabapple Fire on March 15 | |
← 2024
2026 → |
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.[1]
Summary
Texas's 2025 wildfire season began early, with dry fuels, strong winds, and low humidity contributing to heightened fire danger across many regions. In March, several major grass and brush fires ignited across the Texas Panhandle and Central Texas.[2]
One of the most significant fires was the Crabapple Fire in Gillespie County, which burned about 9,858 acres and destroyed or threatened numerous structures.[3] The fire was fully contained by March 21.[4]
As the season progressed, dry vegetation and drought stress increasingly primed much of East and Central Texas for fire outbreaks. Governor Greg Abbott recently raised the state’s Wildland Fire Preparedness Level to Level 3 in response to wildfire activity exceeding 3,000 acres in recent weeks.[5]
Texas A&M Forest Service reports that in a recent reporting period, they responded to 25 new fire incidents burning 379.2 acres statewide, indicating that while many fires are small, the environment remains capable of producing larger events.[6]
State and federal agencies remain on heightened alert, as much of the eastern half of Texas currently has dry vegetation and elevated fire potential. The Texas Fire Potential Update indicates that Central and East Texas will see moderate initial attack fire potential, with short windows of higher danger where conditions allow.[7]
List of wildfires
The following is a list of fires that burned more than 1,000 acres (400 ha), produced significant structural damage, or resulted in casualties.
| Name | County | Acres | Start date | Containment date[a] | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blue Hills | Hutchinson, Moore | 3,900 | February 1 | February 4 | [9] | |
| Middleton | Chambers | 3,089 | February 16 | February 18 | [10] | |
| Twin Oryx | La Salle | 2,156 | March 4 | March 6 | [11] | |
| Welder Complex | San Patricio | 775 | March 4 | March 8 | Damaged multiple structures and caused four injuries. | [12][13][14] |
| Windmill | Ochiltree, Lipscomb, Roberts | 23,287 | March 14 | March 20 | [15] | |
| Rest Area | Gray, Donley | 7,931 | March 14 | March 16 | [16] | |
| Crabapple | Gillespie | 9,858 | March 15 | March 21 | [17] | |
| Persimmon | Jefferson | 1,691 | March 16 | March 19 | [18] | |
| High Lonesome | Dallam | 23,335 | March 18 | March 20 | [19] | |
| Pauline Road | San Jacinto, Montgomery | 2,421 | March 19 | March 26 | [20] | |
| Salt Lake | Brazoria | 1,025 | July 30 | August 1 | [21] | |
| Tule | Swisher, Briscoe | 2,548 | October 4 | October 5 | Included two grass fires that burned west of Silverton. | [22] |
See also
Notes
- Containment means that fire crews have established and secured control lines around the fire's perimeter. These lines are artificial barriers, like trenches or cleared vegetation, designed to stop the fire's spread, or natural barriers like rivers. Containment reflects progress in managing the fire but does not necessarily mean the fire is starved of fuel, under control, or put out.[8]