"The Dry River fire grew to nearly 9,000 acres in less than a week, requiring a large deployment of 113 personnel at its peak and demonstrating a rapid containment trajectory that highlights the effectiveness of coordinated suppression efforts in the region. "
The Dry River wildfire, located 5 miles southeast of Sonora in Sutton County, Texas, was first discovered on September 15, 2026, and is caused by equipment and vehicle use under the jurisdiction of the SFS. The fire rapidly expanded from 400 acres at 21:20 UTC on the discovery day to 8,939 acres by September 23, 2026, while containment progressed from 0% to 100% over the course of eight days. Early reports noted extreme, running behavior with long‑range spotting, but by September 18 the fire had shifted to minimal, creeping, smoldering activity, allowing containment to increase steadily from 25% to full containment. Personnel peaked at 113 firefighters on September 17 before decreasing as the fire was brought under control. The incident remains officially active until the final containment report on September 23.
Official source description: 5 Miles SE from Sonora, TX
Minimal; Creeping; Smoldering
Current air quality readings are unavailable for this incident. Older readings are not shown as current conditions.
Check current air quality on AirNow.gov →The fire is now fully contained and in a minimal, smoldering state; however, general wildfire safety precautions—such as staying away from the fire perimeter and monitoring local advisories—remain advisable until all fire activity ceases.
IRWIN ID: {F5FAD4B1-44AA-4FB5-940A-B16C30619A2B}
Discovered: Sep 15, 2026
Cause: Equipment and vehicle use
Managing Agency: SFS
Coordinates: 30.541, -100.7447
Other wildfires no longer present in our filtered incident feed in TX.
The Dry River Fire has burned 8,939 acres as of September 23, 2026.
Yes, the Dry River Fire is fully contained (100%).
The official cause has been listed as: Equipment and vehicle use.
The Dry River Fire is burning in Sutton, TX.
The Dry River Fire currently meets our U.S. incident tracking criteria. This does not confirm current fire behavior.
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