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 Palmview responded to 44 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $80K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 55% of all calls.
Sep peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
270 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $502K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 39 | — | |
| 2022 | 98 | +151.3% | |
| 2023 | 57 | -41.8% | |
| 2024* | 32 | — | |
| 2025 | 44 | — |
* Well below Palmview'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 6 building fires Palmview departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 113 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 | 60 | 53.1% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 14 | 12.4% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 11 | 9.7% | |
| 4 | Other | 7 | 6.2% | |
| 5 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 3 | 2.7% | |
| 6 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 3 | 2.7% | |
| 7 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 1.8% | |
| 8 | Storage room, area, tank, or bin | 2 | 1.8% | |
| 9 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 2 | 1.8% | |
| 10 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 2 | 1.8% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 7 | 6.2% |
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 Palmview mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 94 | 83.2% | |
| 2 | Match | 4 | 3.5% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 2.7% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 2 | 1.8% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 1.8% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 1.8% | |
| 7 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 1.8% | |
| 8 | Arcing | 1 | 0.9% | |
| 9 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 1 | 0.9% | |
| 10 | Conducted heat from another fire | 1 | 0.9% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 0.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Palmview departments in 2025. These 6 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $80,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $40,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $30,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $15,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $1,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Palmview sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 81,548 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 25,600 | 27.6 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 8,000 | 49.8 mi | |
| 2008 | Debris and open burning | 6,400 | 46.6 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,200 | 38.3 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,010 | 46.5 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,000 | 44.3 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 2,950 | 45.6 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,600 | 12.3 mi | |
| 2007 | Debris and open burning | 2,500 | 25.6 mi | |
| 2008 | Debris and open burning | 2,300 | 39.3 mi | |
| 2005 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,200 | 37.5 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 25.4 mi |
Top 6 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 Palmview. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Palmview.
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.