Hydra Fire

Perimeter mapped September 16, 2026 at 5:15 AM CDT, 930 acres (mixed methods). Point of origin 31.849, -97.653.

Live radar at the fire Forecast for Meridian

Size

933 acres

Containment

74%

Discovered

September 14, 2026 at 4:10 PM CDT

Cause

Undetermined, Undetermined (remarks required), Origin and/or cause not identified

Location

3 Miles S from Meridian, TX

County

Bosque County

State

Texas

Protecting agency

SFS

Jurisdiction

SFS

Land ownership at origin

Private

Personnel assigned

167

Incident management

Type 3 IC, Type 4 Incident

Primary fuel

Brush (2 feet)

Incident type

Wildfire

Unique fire identifier

2026-TXTXS-268545

IRWIN identifier

84E36F94-7085-4B4F-B8BC-81FADF25AA58

Mapped area at the last perimeter of each day, from September 16, 2026 (942 acres) to September 20, 2026 (930 acres). The largest one-day growth was 3 acres, mapped September 20, 2026.

• Wind up to 10 mph from the east-northeast
• Relative humidity as low as 43%
• High of 94°F

National Weather Service hourly forecast for the fire’s point of origin, next 24 hours.

Full forecast for Meridian, TX

Red Flag Warnings and Fire Weather Watches covering the fire's point of origin.

No Red Flag Warning or Fire Weather Watch is in force at the fire.

NOAA’s Hazard Mapping System analysts have not drawn smoke over the fire’s origin today.

NOAA’s smoke model forecasts near-surface smoke at the origin peaking at 0.5 µg/m³ around Wed, 9:00 PM CDT over the next 48 hours.

Smoke and fire layers on the radar

Posted on InciWeb, updated September 21, 2026.

The Hydra Fire in Bosque County started on the afternoon of September 14, 2026 under elevated fire conditions. Texas A&M Forest Service was requested to provide assistance in the form of additional firefighters and heavy equipment at 4:10 pm and responded quickly. Texas A&M Forest Service is currently in unified command with local departments. UPDATE: September 15 at 5:10 PM- Per the City of Meridian, Texas, mandatory evacuations have been ordered. Residents are recommended to evacuate the area and head to a shelter being established at Meridian High School. Residents should take all people and pets, personal items, prescriptions, important papers, and priceless items with them. Have enough of these necessary items to be out of the area for 24-48 hours. EVACUATION UPDATE: September 15 at 6:15 PM- Per the City of Meridian, a mandatory evacuation is ordered for all residents within the city limits of Meridian, Texas. Residents should not return until the evacuation order has been officially lifted through City Officials. Updates will be given through the City of Meridian and Sheriff's Office communications. SHELTER UPDATES: September 15 at 8:40 PM- All shelters are in Clifton. Any of these are accepting overnight stays and pets allowed. Clifton Civic Center, First Baptist Church of Clifton, United Methodist Church of Clifton. Livestock accepted at Clifton Fairgrounds and Clifton ISD Livestock Barn. EVACUATION UPDATE: September 15 at 9:42 PM- Per the City of Meridian, evacuations have been lifted. Residents located in the area of SH 6 from CR 3105 to SH 22 in Meridian, and SH 22 from SH 6 to FM 2136 are encouraged to remain evacuated at this time. Residents should not return until the evacuation order has been officially lifted through City Officials. Updates will be given through the City of Meridian and Sheriff's Office communications. ROAD CLOSURE UPDATE: September 16 at 10:00 AM- FM2136 is closed in both directions. Please slow down for emergency vehicles while traveling in the Meridian/Clifton area. EVACUATION UPDATE: September 16 at 10:00 AM- The evacuation order for the City of Meridian has been lifted. The nursing home in Meridian remains evacuated. Residents south of HWY22 and west of HWY6 are strongly encouraged to remain evacuated at this time. A new trigger point for evacuations has been identified by officials. Bosque County will direct evacuations if the fire reaches that point. Shelter availability is being currently coordinated. Update, Thursday, September 17: Today’s mission is to tie together existing dozer lines with equipment and by hand. Personnel will be following the fires edge on foot in rough terrain to establish containment lines. Update, Friday, September 18, 9 am: The Temporary Flight Restriction in the area of the fire is no longer in effect. Today’s focus will be on improving existing containment lines and working on inaccessible areas. Crews will work on accessing the fires edge on the hill sides that heavy equipment cannot reach. Interior pockets of fuel continue to burn within the fire perimeter. Smoke may be visible throughout the day. Update, Saturday, September 19, 10 am: Today’s focus will be on improving existing containment lines. Hand crews will begin arriving today to construct handline in areas inaccessible to heavy equipment. These crews will target hot spots on hillsides and in rough terrain. Engines will continue to extinguish heat near containment lines. Interior pockets of fuel will continue to burn within the fire perimeter throughout the operational period. Smoke may be visible throughout the day. Acreage was reduced to 933 acres due to better mapping. Containment remains at 35%. Update, Sunday, September 20, 10 am: Sunday's focus will be on establishing direct containment line in areas inaccessible by traditional firefighting equipment. Two hand crews, consisting of approximately 20 members each, will arrive today and begin working this afternoon. These crews will build direct hand line, targeting hot spots on hillsides and in rough terrain. Engines will continue to extinguish heat near containment lines. Interior pockets of fuel will continue to burn within the fire perimeter throughout the afternoon. Smoke may be visible throughout the rest of the day. Update, Monday, September 21: Sunday afternoon a front moved through the area, bringing much needed rain across the entire fire. This provided a reprieve from the dry and dusty conditions firefighters have been battling over the past week. Rainfall recieved is expected to moderate fire activity over the next few days, however the area will still be monitored closely for remaining heat near containment lines. Monday’s focus has been on establishing direct containment line in areas inaccessible by traditional firefighting equipment. Two hand crews, consisting of approximately 20 members each, are working on the east side of the fire. These crews have been tasked with constructing direct hand line on the fires edge and locating hot spots. The deep draws and rocky slopes continue to hold heat, requiring personnel to cover a large amount of ground in rough terrain.

Original at InciWeb

• Meridian, TX5 miles north of the fire’s origin
• Clifton, TX6 miles southeast of the fire’s origin
• Laguna Park, TX16 miles east of the fire’s origin
• Valley Mills, TX17 miles southeast of the fire’s origin
• Whitney, TX21 miles east of the fire’s origin
• Ames, TX24 miles south of the fire’s origin