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 Ferris responded to 115 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $65K 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 59% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
588 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $473K cumulative property loss. 2 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 98 | — | |
| 2022 | 191 | +94.9% | |
| 2023 | 92 | -51.8% | |
| 2024 | 92 | +0.0% | |
| 2025 | 115 | +25.0% |
For the 7 building fires Ferris departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 295 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 | Outside area, other | 94 | 31.9% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 59 | 20.0% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 43 | 14.6% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 21 | 7.1% | |
| 5 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 15 | 5.1% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 10 | 3.4% | |
| 7 | Vehicle area, other | 8 | 2.7% | |
| 8 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 7 | 2.4% | |
| 9 | Other | 6 | 2.0% | |
| 10 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 4 | 1.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 28 | 9.5% |
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 Ferris mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 145 | 49.2% | |
| 2 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 29 | 9.8% | |
| 3 | Heat source: other | 16 | 5.4% | |
| 4 | Hot ember or ash | 16 | 5.4% | |
| 5 | Match | 12 | 4.1% | |
| 6 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 10 | 3.4% | |
| 7 | Fireworks | 9 | 3.1% | |
| 8 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 9 | 3.1% | |
| 9 | Cigarette | 8 | 2.7% | |
| 10 | Arcing | 7 | 2.4% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 34 | 11.5% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Ferris departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 91% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $65,000 | Building or structure weakened or collapsed | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $40,000 | Fire in mobile home used as fixed residence | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $30,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $25,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $22,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $8,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $8,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Ferris sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 23,498 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 | 6,000 | 3.6 mi | |
| 2011 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 2,350 | 43.1 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 39.4 mi | |
| 2006 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,280 | 15.3 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,100 | 41.8 mi | |
| 2019 | Debris and open burning | 1,100 | 33.7 mi | |
| 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,000 | 33.5 mi | |
| 2017 | Debris and open burning | 1,000 | 29.7 mi | |
| 2006 | Equipment and vehicle use | 700 | 17.5 mi | |
| 2018 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 508 | 19.7 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 | 46.2 mi | |
| 2005 | Equipment and vehicle use | 500 | 36.2 mi |
Top 4 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 Ferris. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Ferris.
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.