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 Bertram responded to 80 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $200K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Grass fire lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 65% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
452 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $1.4M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 96 | — | |
| 2022 | 160 | +66.7% | |
| 2023 | 58 | -63.7% | |
| 2024 | 58 | +0.0% | |
| 2025 | 80 | +37.9% |
For the 7 building fires Bertram departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 148 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 | 76 | 51.4% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 17 | 11.5% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 14 | 9.5% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 10 | 6.8% | |
| 5 | Other | 6 | 4.1% | |
| 6 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 6 | 4.1% | |
| 7 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 1.4% | |
| 8 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 2 | 1.4% | |
| 9 | Wall surface: exterior | 2 | 1.4% | |
| 10 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 1.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 11 | 7.4% |
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 Bertram mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 96 | 64.9% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 10 | 6.8% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 9 | 6.1% | |
| 4 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 5 | 3.4% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 4 | 2.7% | |
| 6 | Heat, spark from friction | 4 | 2.7% | |
| 7 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 2.0% | |
| 8 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 2.0% | |
| 9 | Cigarette | 3 | 2.0% | |
| 10 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 3 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 8 | 5.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Bertram departments in 2025. These 7 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $200,000 | Fire in motor home, camper, recreational vehicle | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $5,000 | Fire in motor home, camper, recreational vehicle | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $2,000 | Brush, or brush and grass mixture fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $1,500 | Fuel burner/boiler malfunction, fire confined | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $500 | Camper or recreational vehicle (RV) fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $100 | Grass fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Bertram sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 53,247 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6,500 | 24.7 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6,180 | 41.4 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,700 | 38.5 mi | |
| 2009 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,000 | 45.7 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,887 | 37.5 mi | |
| 2008 | Debris and open burning | 2,106 | 15.1 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 45.5 mi | |
| 2009 | Equipment and vehicle use | 2,000 | 36.4 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 44.2 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 33.6 mi | |
| 2000 | Natural | 1,792 | 32.6 mi | |
| 2006 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,700 | 49.2 mi |
Top 6 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 Bertram. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Bertram.
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.