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 Palmer responded to 72 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $50K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Fire, other lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 60% of all calls.
Oct peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
110 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $50K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 20 | — | |
| 2022* | 10 | — | |
| 2023* | 1 | — | |
| 2024* | 7 | — | |
| 2025 | 72 | — |
* Well below Palmer's usual volume. That almost always means one or more departments didn't submit a full year to NFIRS, not that fires dropped, so no year-over-year change is shown for it.
For the 1 building fires Palmer departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 36 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 | 19 | 52.8% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 4 | 11.1% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 8.3% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 3 | 8.3% | |
| 5 | Other | 2 | 5.6% | |
| 6 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 2 | 5.6% | |
| 7 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 1 | 2.8% | |
| 8 | Vehicle area, other | 1 | 2.8% | |
| 9 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 1 | 2.8% |
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 Palmer mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 27 | 75.0% | |
| 2 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 5.6% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 2 | 5.6% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 1 | 2.8% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 2.8% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 2.8% | |
| 7 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 2.8% | |
| 8 | Multiple heat sources including multiple ignitions | 1 | 2.8% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Palmer departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $50,000 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Palmer sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 24,023 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6,000 | 8.1 mi | |
| 2011 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 2,350 | 36.4 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 43.3 mi | |
| 2006 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,280 | 8.6 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,100 | 36.0 mi | |
| 2019 | Debris and open burning | 1,100 | 28.0 mi | |
| 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,000 | 28.1 mi | |
| 2017 | Debris and open burning | 1,000 | 24.7 mi | |
| 2017 | Debris and open burning | 800 | 48.3 mi | |
| 2006 | Equipment and vehicle use | 700 | 14.6 mi | |
| 2018 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 508 | 21.1 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 | 42.4 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 Palmer. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Palmer.
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.