During 2011 in Texas, around 31,453 fires had burned 4,000,000 acres or 16,190 square kilometres[3] (about double the previous record), 2,947 homes[3] (1,939 of which were destroyed over the Labor Day weekend), and over 2,700 other structures.

The fires had been particularly severe due to the 2011 Southern US drought that covered the state, and was exacerbated by the unusual convergence of strong winds, unseasonably warm temperatures, and low humidity.

[9] Texas Governor Rick Perry declared a State of Disaster starting on December 21, 2010, and renewed the proclamation every month.

[11] Critics of the governor's relief efforts point to his budget cuts to the Texas Forest Service which provides a first line of defense against wildfires.

[15] This is a list of known Texas wildfires occurring in 2011 that reached a size greater than 10,000 acres (40 km2) and/or caused significant destruction in residential areas.

Due to the ongoing exceptional drought conditions in most of Texas and the high winds brought to the state by Tropical Storm Lee, a series of wildfires flared up over Labor Day weekend and continued into the following week.

At approximately 3:00 p.m. (CDT) on September 4, two fires started north of Bastrop State Park in the communities of Circle D-KC Estates and Tahitian Village.

30 mph gusts of wind apparently toppled trees which tumbled into electrical lines at two locations, creating sparks that fell onto and ignited the dry grass and leaf litter below.

[23] On September 4, a fire started in Mentz, a rural community about 8 miles (13 km) northeast of Columbus, TX.

[24] Following a period of gusty conditions in mid-April, thunderstorms occurring between April 10–11 over West Texas initiated several wildfires.

Among these was the Cooper Mountain Ranch Fire, which began from a lightning strike in 9 mi (14 km) south of Clairemont in southern Kent County.

[27] The fire was eventually contained on April 22 after burning 162,625 acres (65,812 ha) of grassland, resulting in $1.26 million in economic losses and the destruction of 350 utility poles.

[32] The grass fire in Val Verde County, 30 miles (48 km) southwest of Ozona burned 175,000 acres (710 km2).

More tragically, 2 fatalities occurred in a mobile home, when a mother and her 18-month-old daughter were unable to escape the fast moving blaze.

[34] The fires moved so quickly due to the extremely dry conditions and the high winds, sometimes reaching 40 mph.

[35] This fire started around 2 pm on October 4, 2011, at Oak Hill Cemetery Road, east of FM 2336, near the Griffith League Scout Ranch.

[43] The next day, the fire already destroyed 20 homes and moved across the Pedernales River, continuing to burn in Hays County.

The Possum Kingdom Complex is a grouping of four wildfires that has consumed about 148,000 acres (600 km2) in Stephens, Young and Palo Pinto counties.

[50] On August 30, 2011, another outbreak of wildfires ravaged the Possum Kingdom Lake area, continuing well into September and destroying 39 homes by the time of containment.

Conditions optimal for wildfires were in place at the time of the fire with temperatures over 100 °F (38 °C), relative humidity values near 5 percent, and gusts as strong as 35 mph (56 km/h).

[56] Sparks from a cutting torch started the Swenson Fire on April 6 near Aspermont and burned 122,500 acres (496 km2) in King, Knox, and Stonewall counties but caused minimal structure damage.

[57] The White Hat Fire was started during the morning hours of June 20 about 8.5 mi (13.7 km) west of Blackwell, Texas in Nolan County.

[59] However, towards the end of the day, no containment of the fire was reported, and it had already destroyed 7 houses and had enlarged to a size greater than 20,000 acres (81 km2).

[61] Due to lower winds the next day, the fire decreased and became 70% contained, but it had already burned 70,900 acres (287 km2) of land and charred 35 homes.

[58] The Wildcat Fire started on April 11 at approximately 0030 from a lightning strike in southern Coke County west of Robert Lee.

Forty mph winds pushed the fire east, reaching TX Hwy 208, before shifting to the south.

Local officials alerted residents of Grape Creek and Quail Valley, small communities north of San Angelo, to prepare for evacuation.

By April 16, the winds again shifted and moved the fire north towards Robert Lee, forcing evacuations of the Edith community, and houses along both FM 2034 and Hwy 208 Texas State Highway 208.

Despite several structures being lost, mostly limited to outbuildings, isolated barns, and hunters' camps, the fire claimed only one unoccupied home.

The following is a list of fires that burned more than 10,000 acres (4,000 ha), or produced significant structural damage or loss of life.