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 Marlin responded to 79 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $50K 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 71% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Jul dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
477 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $1.2M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 90 | — | |
| 2022 | 135 | +50.0% | |
| 2023 | 101 | -25.2% | |
| 2024 | 72 | -28.7% | |
| 2025 | 79 | +9.7% |
For the 8 building fires Marlin departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 75 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 | 35 | 46.7% | |
| 2 | Cooking area, kitchen | 6 | 8.0% | |
| 3 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 4 | 5.3% | |
| 4 | Vehicle area, other | 4 | 5.3% | |
| 5 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 3 | 4.0% | |
| 6 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 4.0% | |
| 7 | Outside area, other | 3 | 4.0% | |
| 8 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 3 | 4.0% | |
| 9 | Other | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 10 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 2.7% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 10 | 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 Marlin mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 69 | 92.0% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 3 | 4.0% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 1.3% | |
| 4 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 1.3% | |
| 5 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 1 | 1.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Marlin departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 98% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $40,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $30,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $24,150 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $20,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $8,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Marlin sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 32,335 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 | 6,180 | 49.2 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4,689 | 45.2 mi | |
| 2009 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,000 | 49.1 mi | |
| 2011 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 3,000 | 27.1 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 46.9 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,500 | 48.9 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,500 | 49.3 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,000 | 48.5 mi | |
| 2011 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 958 | 44.4 mi | |
| 1996 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 900 | 30.7 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 800 | 36.4 mi | |
| 2005 | Equipment and vehicle use | 700 | 48.5 mi |
Top 1 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
| # | ZIP | 5-yr incidents | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 76661 | 477 |
Six Texas cities with population within ±25% of Marlin. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Marlin.
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.