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The recent wildfires in the Los Angeles area — by one estimate, destroying more than 16,000 structures and killing 27, as of Jan. 22 — have shocked the nation, largely due to their proximity to the country’s secondmost populous city. But experts say that other large metros in states prone to wildfires — including Texas — should be on high alert.
Eighty-five percent of Texas wildfires start within two miles of a community. These two miles are commonly called the wildland-urban interface (WUI) zone: the area where manmade structures meet undeveloped land with easy-to-ignite vegetation when conditions are right. As population grows, so does the WUI. In Texas, 3.2 million housing units are in the WUI, second only to California nationally.
Since 2005, more than 243,000 separate Texas wildfires have burned 13.9 million total acres. In 2024, the Smokehouse Creek Fire burned more than 1 million acres in the Panhandle, making it the largest wildfire in the state’s history.
The Bastrop County Complex Fire burned around 32,000 acres and destroyed more than 1,600 homes (PDF). The Riley Road Fire, which started at roughly the same time as the Bastrop fires but closer to Houston, lasted for 28 days and burned nearly 20,000 acres across three counties.
According to property analytics company CoreLogic, Austin and San Antonio are at a high risk of experiencing wildfires. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service summarizes the wildfire risk to these cities, among others, in its interactive online resource Wildfire Risk to Communities. Risk factors include slope, fuel, surface composition, drought and wind.
In 2024, an estimated 244,617 Texas homes were at significant risk of wildfires. Total reconstruction costs were valued at more than $88 billion.
The state's capital is ranked fifth in the nation for cities with the greatest number of homes at risk of wildfires, following four cities in California.
The U.S. Fire Administration estimates WUI in the U.S. is growing by 2 million acres a year. As Texas' population grows and suburban areas expand, more homes, businesses and lives could be in the path of wildfires. The Texas A&M Forest Service offers tips to help Texans plan and prepare for wildfires.
