Texas wildfires burned 645,000 acres in 2022

Of these, Texas A&M Forest Service responded to 2,000 wildfires, which accounted for 85 per cent of the total acreage burned that year.

Throughout the year, 402 agency personnel, 130 aircraft, and over 4,450 out-of-state firefighters and support personnel, responded to wildfires in Texas. Over 11 million gallons of retardant was dropped from the air during the course of the year, with over 8,000 homes saved from the fires.

The figure makes 2022 one of the worst years for severe wildfires in the state for over a decade. Some of the largest fires in Texas included the Dempsey Fire in Palo Pinto County, which began in June and burned almost 11,600 acres over the course of two weeks. It also threatened 120 homes and 140 buildings.

Two weeks later, the 1148 Fire near Possum Kingdom Lake, Palo Pinto County, destroyed 457 acres southeast of Graham, and burned five homes and five outbuildings. The fire was later found to be caused by an open waste disposal container filled with glass bottles, food and paper goods that had ignited in the heat of the sun.

In July, the Chalk Mountain Fire near Glen Rose burned an area of around 6,700 acres, destroying multiple homes and other properties.

A fourth major fire broke out in Palo Pinto County in September as the result of a prescribed burning that got out of control. The incident, dubbed ‘The Lazy Fire’, burned over 1,800 acres and was eventually suppressed in October.

Air ambulance service AirLift Texas opened a new base at the Mid Valley Airport in Weslaco in June 2022.