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 Glen Rose responded to 57 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $550K 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 63% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Aug dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
297 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $1.3M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 62 | — | |
| 2022 | 70 | +12.9% | |
| 2023 | 61 | -12.9% | |
| 2024 | 47 | -23.0% | |
| 2025 | 57 | +21.3% |
For the 4 building fires Glen Rose departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 143 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 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 36 | 25.2% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 30 | 21.0% | |
| 3 | Other | 12 | 8.4% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 11 | 7.7% | |
| 5 | Outside area, other | 9 | 6.3% | |
| 6 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 7 | 4.9% | |
| 7 | Wildland, woods | 7 | 4.9% | |
| 8 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 6 | 4.2% | |
| 9 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 2.1% | |
| 10 | Structural area, other | 3 | 2.1% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 19 | 13.3% |
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 Glen Rose mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 68 | 47.6% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 9 | 6.3% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 9 | 6.3% | |
| 4 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 9 | 6.3% | |
| 5 | Heat source: other | 7 | 4.9% | |
| 6 | Lightning | 7 | 4.9% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 6 | 4.2% | |
| 8 | Arcing | 5 | 3.5% | |
| 9 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 4 | 2.8% | |
| 10 | Cigarette lighter | 4 | 2.8% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 15 | 10.5% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Glen Rose departments in 2025. These 5 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $550,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $241,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $25,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $25,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $6,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Glen Rose sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 58,944 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Debris and open burning | 6,000 | 25.2 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5,000 | 33.4 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4,100 | 44.6 mi | |
| 2011 | Debris and open burning | 4,044 | 11.2 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,200 | 36.2 mi | |
| 2000 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,000 | 48.9 mi | |
| 2009 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 2,800 | 47.6 mi | |
| 2008 | Natural | 2,530 | 37.8 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,300 | 47.2 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,153 | 34.8 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 49.4 mi | |
| 2005 | Equipment and vehicle use | 2,000 | 23.6 mi |
Top 7 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 Glen Rose. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Glen Rose.
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.