No longer in the daily fire updates. The Rio Escondido Fire last appeared in an official report on September 1, at 2,713 acres and 95% contained. Fires drop off this list once crews have them contained or out; we keep the page for reference. See fires burning now →

Rio Escondido Fire

Hamilton County, Texas · Wildfire

No longer active Official numbers updated Sep 1, 2026 (6 days ago)
First reported about 2 weeks ago
Metric Now
Size
2,713 acres
Sep 7, 10:00 PM
+63 acres
was 2,650 acres · Aug 26, 11:00 AM
Containment
95%
Sep 7, 10:00 PM
+5 percent
was 90% · Aug 30, 8:00 PM
Crew size
35
Sep 7, 10:00 PM
+1
was 34 · Sep 1, 4:00 PM
Money spent
$0
Sep 7, 10:00 PM

Rio Escondido Fire and other nearby fires

🔥 Where this fire started Mostly contained Partly contained Containment not reported

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Rio Escondido Fire summary

The Rio Escondido Fire is a wildfire near Hamilton County, Texas. It has burned about 2,713 acres (about 2,000 football fields). Crews have boxed in 95% of its edge; the other 5% isn't contained yet. It was first reported about 2 weeks ago. About 35 people are on it, run by a Type 3 IC.

Size
2,713 acres
Containment
95%
Discovered
August 24, 2026 (first reported about 2 weeks ago)
Cause
Equipment and vehicle use

The size and containment above are current as of Wednesday, September 2nd at 8:00 p.m. CDT.

Weather & fire-spread conditions

No Red Flag Warning. The National Weather Service hasn't flagged this area for dangerous fire-spread conditions right now.

Hot, dry, and windy weather can help a fire grow; cool, calm, or wet weather helps crews. The tags below rate each day for fire spread — green is calm, red can push a fire.

A general fire-weather guide (wind matters most, then how dry it is, then heat), not a prediction of what this fire will do.

Tonight

76°F · Slight Chance Rain Showers then Mostly Clear

Wind 5 to 10 mph SSE · 21% chance of rain

Wind: Breezy Heat: Warm Some rain

Thursday

100°F · Mostly Sunny then Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms

Wind 10 mph S · 23% chance of rain

Wind: Breezy Heat: Very hot Some rain

Thursday Night

74°F · Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms

Wind 10 to 15 mph SSE · 31% chance of rain

Wind: Breezy Heat: Cool Some rain

Friday

96°F · Chance Showers And Thunderstorms then Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms

Wind 10 mph SSE · 31% chance of rain

Wind: Breezy Heat: Hot Some rain

Friday Night

73°F · Slight Chance Showers And Thunderstorms then Mostly Clear

Wind 5 to 10 mph SSE · 20% chance of rain

Wind: Breezy Heat: Cool Some rain

Forecast from the National Weather Service (weather.gov), pulled Wednesday, September 2nd at 8:07 p.m. CDT.

When I roll up to someone's house that's clearly been hardened against wildfire, it's like a breath of fresh air. I know my chances of saving your home just went up dramatically.

A wildland firefighter, on Reddit

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Who's on it

About 35 people are assigned to this fire, run by a Type 3 IC. The government rates it a Type 3 Incident.

The official feed reports the total headcount, not a breakdown by crew type.

Where to get live updates

We show the daily official picture. For minute-by-minute updates, evacuation orders, and maps, these do it best:

Nearby fires to Rio Escondido Fire

No other active fires are near this one right now. It's on its own.

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