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 Commerce responded to 134 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $750K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Power line down 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.
780 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $1.8M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 123 | — | |
| 2022 | 187 | +52.0% | |
| 2023 | 163 | -12.8% | |
| 2024 | 173 | +6.1% | |
| 2025 | 134 | -22.5% |
For the 7 building fires Commerce departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 152 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 | 36.2% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 17 | 11.2% | |
| 3 | Cooking area, kitchen | 13 | 8.6% | |
| 4 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 10 | 6.6% | |
| 5 | Outside area, other | 9 | 5.9% | |
| 6 | Other | 8 | 5.3% | |
| 7 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 4 | 2.6% | |
| 8 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 3 | 2.0% | |
| 9 | Equipment or service area, other | 3 | 2.0% | |
| 10 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 3 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 27 | 17.8% |
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 Commerce mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 85 | 55.9% | |
| 2 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 12 | 7.9% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 8 | 5.3% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 7 | 4.6% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 5 | 3.3% | |
| 6 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 5 | 3.3% | |
| 7 | Arcing | 5 | 3.3% | |
| 8 | Molten, hot material | 4 | 2.6% | |
| 9 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 2.6% | |
| 10 | Fireworks | 3 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 14 | 9.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Commerce departments in 2025. These 7 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $750,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $80,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $7,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $7,500 | Outside rubbish, trash or waste fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $3,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $3,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $1,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Commerce sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 14,188 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 25.1 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,200 | 8.0 mi | |
| 2005 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,000 | 41.0 mi | |
| 2005 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 960 | 33.6 mi | |
| 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 721 | 38.1 mi | |
| 2011 | Debris and open burning | 661 | 45.0 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 655 | 49.5 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 | 49.1 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 | 44.0 mi | |
| 2011 | Debris and open burning | 500 | 48.2 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 500 | 48.2 mi | |
| 2005 | Natural | 450 | 19.3 mi |
Top 5 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 Commerce. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Commerce.
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.