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 Franklin responded to 175 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $10 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 79% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
623 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $188K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 75 | — | |
| 2022 | 133 | +77.3% | |
| 2023 | 154 | +15.8% | |
| 2024 | 86 | -44.2% | |
| 2025 | 175 | +103.5% |
For the 4 building fires Franklin departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 67 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 | 34 | 50.7% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 6 | 9.0% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 6.0% | |
| 4 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 5 | Outside area, other | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 6 | Wildland, woods | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 7 | Other | 2 | 3.0% | |
| 8 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 2 | 3.0% | |
| 9 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 2 | 3.0% | |
| 10 | Function area, other | 1 | 1.5% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 7 | 10.4% |
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 Franklin mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 42 | 62.7% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 5 | 7.5% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 4 | 6.0% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 4 | 6.0% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 4.5% | |
| 7 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 1.5% | |
| 8 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 1.5% | |
| 9 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 1.5% | |
| 10 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 1.5% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 2 | 3.0% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Franklin departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $10 | Forest, woods or wildland fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $10 | Brush, or brush and grass mixture fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Franklin sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 21,164 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 | 4,689 | 26.5 mi | |
| 2011 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 3,000 | 48.3 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,047 | 46.7 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,035 | 44.5 mi | |
| 2011 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,008 | 44.4 mi | |
| 1996 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 900 | 20.0 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 800 | 9.3 mi | |
| 2009 | Debris and open burning | 700 | 43.3 mi | |
| 2000 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 650 | 43.7 mi | |
| 1996 | Arson/incendiarism | 600 | 17.3 mi | |
| 2008 | Debris and open burning | 500 | 43.7 mi | |
| 2011 | Natural | 466 | 44.7 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 Franklin. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Franklin.
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.