The concern of costly, out-of-control wildfires growing by the day. Here is a look back at the worst fires in Texas history.
NOTABLE WILDFIRES IN TEXAS HISTORY
Keep in mind that reliable records for wildfires only date back to 1980s, so we’re dealing with a small window. Still, the data gives us good info for when and where some of the worst wildfires have occurred. Also of note, “complex fires” are sets of fires burning relatively close to one another and are managed as a whole. 2011 remains one of Texas’s worst years, with more than 30,000 fires reported and nearly 4 million acres burned.
- SMOKEHOUSE CREEK FIRE: Burning more than 1,000,000 acres in the Texas Panhandle and parts of Oklahoma, this fire is now considered the largest wildfire in Texas history. Strong, gusty winds contributed to the rapid spreading of the fire, which ignited in Hutchinson County in late February 2024.
- EAST AMARILLO COMPLEX FIRE: Before the Smokehouse Creek fire in 2024, this was by far the largest complex fire in Texas since records have been kept. The East Amarillo Complex ignited on March 12, 2006, and burned 907,245 acres across nine counties in the Texas Panhandle. Propelled by strong winds and extremely dry conditions, 12 people were killed by the complex fire.
- BIG COUNTRY FIRE: According to the Texas A&M Forest Service, this is the third largest wildfire in Texas history. Sparking in 1998, the fire burned 366,000 acres.
- PERRYTON FIRE: Sparking in 2017, the Perryton fire is the fourth largest wildfire in Texas history. After igniting 20 miles south of Perryton in Ochiltree County near U.S. Highway 281, it would go on to burn 318,156 acres. The cause was determined to be from downed power lines or sparks from a transformer.
- BASTROP COUNTY COMPLEX FIRE: The costliest fire in Texas history, the Bastrop County Complex fire burned 1,673 homes in the September 2011. It was also responsible for two deaths. Caused by gusty winds blowing down power lines, more than 34,000 acres burned, much of which was pine forest. It took nearly three weeks to get the fire contained. KSAT covered the fires extensively, due to the close proximity.
- PK COMPLEX FIRE: As part of the 2011 fire outbreak, the PK Complex Fire occurred just five months before Bastrop. It burned nearly 127,000 acres and destroyed 168 homes near the popular Possum Kingdom Lake in Stephens, Young, and Palo Pinto County. It burned for 34 days and was likely caused by a lightning strike. The PK Complex Fire currently ranks as the third-most destructive wildfire in Texas history.
- CROSS PLAINS FIRE: Occurring in December of 2005, this unusual fire took shape across a relatively flat, treeless area. A cold front kicked up winds and humidity plummeted. The result was a fire that moved quickly, with spread rates exceeding 324 feet a minute. More than 7,000 acres burned, while 116 homes were destroyed. Sadly, two people died as a result of the fire.
- EASTLAND COMPLEX: This fire occurred just last year, as part of our current drought. Multiple fires erupted southwest of Eastland (just west of Fort Worth) in April of 2022. The combined name was the Eastland Complex. It torched more than 54,000 acres and resulted in the loss of one life. In addition, 158 homes were destroyed.
CLIMATOLOGY
Data tells us that destructive wildfires most often occur in La Nina years. This is because these years tend to be drier than normal. Since 2005, fires that occurred in La Nina years only accounted for 3% of all wildfires, yet they are responsible for 49% of the acres burned. Bottom line: the stretch of drought years that we are currently in unfortunately set up well for a busy wildfire season.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Here are some important tips to remember during fire season.
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