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 Borger responded to 172 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $230K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Electrical wiring/equipment problem, other lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 55% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
823 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $2.7M cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 159 | — | |
| 2022 | 174 | +9.4% | |
| 2023 | 148 | -14.9% | |
| 2024 | 170 | +14.9% | |
| 2025 | 172 | +1.2% |
For the 11 building fires Borger departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 298 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 | 91 | 30.5% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 65 | 21.8% | |
| 3 | Cooking area, kitchen | 19 | 6.4% | |
| 4 | Other | 14 | 4.7% | |
| 5 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 9 | 3.0% | |
| 6 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 8 | 2.7% | |
| 7 | Wall surface: exterior | 8 | 2.7% | |
| 8 | Storage area, other | 7 | 2.3% | |
| 9 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 7 | 2.3% | |
| 10 | Vehicle area, other | 6 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 64 | 21.5% |
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 Borger mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 180 | 60.4% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 18 | 6.0% | |
| 3 | Heat source: other | 17 | 5.7% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 16 | 5.4% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 8 | 2.7% | |
| 6 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 7 | 2.3% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 6 | 2.0% | |
| 8 | Hot ember or ash | 6 | 2.0% | |
| 9 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 6 | 2.0% | |
| 10 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 6 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 28 | 9.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Borger departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 95% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $230,350 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $80,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $46,390 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $40,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $38,850 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $24,000 | Camper or recreational vehicle (RV) fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $16,800 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $12,107 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Borger sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,377,675 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 479,549 | 1.8 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 427,696 | 40.4 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60,000 | 29.0 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 44,686 | 8.2 mi | |
| 2017 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 38,104 | 36.5 mi | |
| 1999 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 30,000 | 38.5 mi | |
| 2017 | Equipment and vehicle use | 28,800 | 33.7 mi | |
| 2011 | Equipment and vehicle use | 24,310 | 34.8 mi | |
| 2006 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 23,827 | 22.8 mi | |
| 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | 23,143 | 42.6 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 23,000 | 7.1 mi | |
| 1998 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 20,000 | 15.0 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 Borger. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
3 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Borger.
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.