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 Bonham responded to 136 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $25K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 46% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Jun dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
687 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $932K cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 132 | — | |
| 2022 | 180 | +36.4% | |
| 2023 | 106 | -41.1% | |
| 2024 | 133 | +25.5% | |
| 2025 | 136 | +2.3% |
For the 6 building fires Bonham departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 245 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 | 55 | 22.4% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 36 | 14.7% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 35 | 14.3% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 21 | 8.6% | |
| 5 | Storage area, other | 10 | 4.1% | |
| 6 | Vehicle area, other | 9 | 3.7% | |
| 7 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 8 | 3.3% | |
| 8 | Cooking area, kitchen | 6 | 2.4% | |
| 9 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 6 | 2.4% | |
| 10 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 5 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 54 | 22.0% |
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 Bonham mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 115 | 46.9% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 17 | 6.9% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 17 | 6.9% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 16 | 6.5% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 14 | 5.7% | |
| 6 | Heat source: other | 8 | 3.3% | |
| 7 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 7 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Match | 6 | 2.4% | |
| 9 | Cigarette lighter | 6 | 2.4% | |
| 10 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 6 | 2.4% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 33 | 13.5% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Bonham departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 99% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $25,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $15,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $7,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $2,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $2,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $1,800 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $1,500 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $1,000 | Special outside fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Bonham sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 36,482 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Arson/incendiarism | 10,000 | 21.9 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5,600 | 46.6 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 6.6 mi | |
| 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,700 | 32.5 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,680 | 35.8 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,400 | 44.1 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,200 | 31.0 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,200 | 42.3 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,200 | 42.8 mi | |
| 2005 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,000 | 11.8 mi | |
| 2005 | Natural | 1,000 | 35.4 mi | |
| 2005 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 960 | 22.1 mi |
Top 2 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 Bonham. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Bonham.
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.