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 Graham responded to 108 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $60K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 68% of all calls.
Apr peaks. May dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
588 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $1.9M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 104 | — | |
| 2022 | 123 | +18.3% | |
| 2023 | 130 | +5.7% | |
| 2024 | 123 | -5.4% | |
| 2025 | 108 | -12.2% |
For the 7 building fires Graham departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 188 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 | 118 | 62.8% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 9 | 4.8% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 8 | 4.3% | |
| 4 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 6 | 3.2% | |
| 5 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 5 | 2.7% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 5 | 2.7% | |
| 7 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 5 | 2.7% | |
| 8 | Wall assembly | 4 | 2.1% | |
| 9 | Other | 3 | 1.6% | |
| 10 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 1.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 22 | 11.7% |
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 Graham mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 170 | 90.4% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 5 | 2.7% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 1.6% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 1.1% | |
| 5 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 1.1% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 1.1% | |
| 7 | Heat source: other | 1 | 0.5% | |
| 8 | Molten, hot material | 1 | 0.5% | |
| 9 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 0.5% | |
| 10 | Match | 1 | 0.5% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Graham departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 85% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $60,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $40,000 | Outside storage fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $25,000 | Camper or recreational vehicle (RV) fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $15,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $15,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $10,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $10,000 | Camper or recreational vehicle (RV) fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $8,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Graham sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 396,782 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Natural | 126,734 | 19.7 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 27,876 | 5.3 mi | |
| 2009 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 21,525 | 40.5 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 20,263 | 48.2 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 18,360 | 48.2 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 16,444 | 30.1 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 16,000 | 38.3 mi | |
| 1996 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 13,702 | 44.8 mi | |
| 2008 | Equipment and vehicle use | 13,548 | 34.7 mi | |
| 1996 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 12,201 | 42.4 mi | |
| 2003 | Natural | 11,015 | 39.1 mi | |
| 1997 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 10,388 | 45.6 mi |
Top 2 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 Graham. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
4 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Graham.
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.