Ross Fire in North Texas Reaches 100% Containment After 90,000-Acre Run
The Ross Fire near Palo Pinto, Texas burned about 90,000 acres and destroyed at least 167 structures before crews fully contained it on Sept. 16.
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In 2025, fire departments serving Anthony responded to 24 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $10.0M building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 54% of all calls.
May peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
140 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $10.2M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 27 | — | |
| 2022 | 29 | +7.4% | |
| 2023 | 35 | +20.7% | |
| 2024 | 25 | -28.6% | |
| 2025 | 24 | -4.0% |
For the 5 building fires Anthony departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 68 building fires investigators classified across 2021–2025. The room or location where ignition occurred — kitchens, bedrooms, exterior, vehicle areas — tells you where to focus prevention.
| # | Area of origin | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 18 | 26.5% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 11 | 16.2% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 9 | 13.2% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 6 | 8.8% | |
| 5 | Wildland, woods | 4 | 5.9% | |
| 6 | Other | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 7 | Storage room, area, tank, or bin | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 1 | 1.5% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 11 | 16.2% |
NFIRS Heat Source (HEAT_SOURC) — the physical thing that started it. Spark or ember from operating equipment, an open flame, smoking materials, or hot embers from a fireplace are the leading culprits nationwide. Here's the Anthony mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 36 | 52.9% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 5 | 7.4% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 4 | 5.9% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 4.4% | |
| 5 | Match | 3 | 4.4% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 7 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Cigarette lighter | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Heat source: other | 1 | 1.5% | |
| 10 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 1.5% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 9 | 13.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Anthony departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $10,000,000 | Building fires | Catastrophic | Investigated |
| 2 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $100 | Fire in mobile home used as fixed residence | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Anthony sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 92,990 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Natural | 14,103 | 48.7 mi | |
| 1994 | Natural | 13,804 | 39.3 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 13,424 | 22.0 mi | |
| 1994 | Natural | 9,000 | 40.0 mi | |
| 1993 | Natural | 8,900 | 46.5 mi | |
| 2010 | Arson/incendiarism | 5,160 | 22.0 mi | |
| 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | 5,045 | 30.4 mi | |
| 2009 | Arson/incendiarism | 5,000 | 42.2 mi | |
| 2010 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,582 | 17.4 mi | |
| 1997 | Natural | 2,400 | 35.0 mi | |
| 2009 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,150 | 41.5 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,735 | 23.0 mi |
Top 3 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Texas cities with population within ±25% of Anthony. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
A 30-minute weekend can cut your home's exposure substantially. These four checklists are a good starting point.
Numbers reflect incidents reported by participating fire departments to the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) Public Data Release for calendar year 2025. NFIRS is voluntary — about 23,000 of roughly 30,000 US fire departments report — so totals are a strong indicator, not a complete census. Per-capita comparisons use 2023 ACS population estimates. Wildland fire data complements NFIRS with NIFC and USFS perimeters. Active-fire counts come from a dated NIFC snapshot, not a live feed.