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 Marshall responded to 375 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $50K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Unauthorized burning lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 61% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
1,273 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $40.6M cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 157 | — | |
| 2022 | 292 | +86.0% | |
| 2023 | 200 | -31.5% | |
| 2024 | 249 | +24.5% | |
| 2025 | 375 | +50.6% |
For the 17 building fires Marshall departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 269 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 | 61 | 22.7% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 39 | 14.5% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 30 | 11.2% | |
| 4 | Other | 24 | 8.9% | |
| 5 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 22 | 8.2% | |
| 6 | Vehicle area, other | 12 | 4.5% | |
| 7 | Wildland, woods | 12 | 4.5% | |
| 8 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 8 | 3.0% | |
| 9 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 7 | 2.6% | |
| 10 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 6 | 2.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 48 | 17.8% |
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 Marshall mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 96 | 35.7% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 30 | 11.2% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 22 | 8.2% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 19 | 7.1% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 15 | 5.6% | |
| 6 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 10 | 3.7% | |
| 7 | Cigarette lighter | 10 | 3.7% | |
| 8 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 10 | 3.7% | |
| 9 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 9 | 3.3% | |
| 10 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 7 | 2.6% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 41 | 15.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Marshall departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 86% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $50,000 | Fire in mobile home used as fixed residence | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $30,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $10,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $8,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $6,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $5,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Marshall sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 65,892 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 | 41,050 | 30.5 mi | |
| 2011 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 3,341 | 31.1 mi | |
| 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,378 | 24.9 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,324 | 29.2 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,036 | 13.2 mi | |
| 2011 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1,672 | 45.4 mi | |
| 2011 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1,556 | 35.9 mi | |
| 1996 | Recreation and ceremony | 1,500 | 49.7 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,465 | 10.2 mi | |
| 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,048 | 16.5 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 902 | 31.4 mi | |
| 1996 | Debris and open burning | 850 | 6.8 mi |
Top 10 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 Marshall. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
3 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Marshall.
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.