A massive wildfire in North Texas is still burning more than two weeks after it started.
The Ross Fire has torched more than 90,000 acres since it ignited on August 24, destroying over 150 structures and disrupting schools. It grew quickly during its initial days, crossed water boundaries like creeks and prompted some evacuations as it burned through rural ranchland.
Triple-digit temperatures and gusty winds may now complicate firefighting efforts over the weekend.
But firefighters are making progress: The fire is now more than 75% contained, thanks to efforts by crews from across the state and personnel from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Aerial firefighting craft have continued fire retardant drops and some ground crews have even deployed retardant to help reinforce a defensive line.
The Texas A&M Forest Service says the Ross Fire is the largest summertime wildfire in Texas in state records, which go back to 2005.
The fire is believed to have been started due to a vehicle.
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More than 54,000 wildfires have burned more than 8.4 million acres so far in 2026, according to the National Interagency Fire Center. Seventy-four new fires, two of them large, were reported on September 10.
