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 Pottsboro responded to 140 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $150K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Power line down lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 69% of all calls.
May peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
782 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $1.7M cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 160 | — | |
| 2022 | 157 | -1.9% | |
| 2023 | 136 | -13.4% | |
| 2024 | 189 | +39.0% | |
| 2025 | 140 | -25.9% |
For the 21 building fires Pottsboro departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 131 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 | 52 | 39.7% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 10 | 7.6% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 10 | 7.6% | |
| 4 | Wildland, woods | 7 | 5.3% | |
| 5 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 5 | 3.8% | |
| 6 | Other | 3 | 2.3% | |
| 7 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 2.3% | |
| 8 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 3 | 2.3% | |
| 9 | Storage area, other | 3 | 2.3% | |
| 10 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 2.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 32 | 24.4% |
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 Pottsboro mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 79 | 60.3% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 7 | 5.3% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 7 | 5.3% | |
| 4 | Hot ember or ash | 5 | 3.8% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 4 | 3.1% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 4 | 3.1% | |
| 7 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 2.3% | |
| 8 | Heat source: other | 2 | 1.5% | |
| 9 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 1.5% | |
| 10 | Explosive, fireworks, other | 2 | 1.5% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 16 | 12.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Pottsboro departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $150,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $100,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $10,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $3,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $1 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $1 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Pottsboro sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 94,943 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 31,419 | 49.8 mi | |
| 2005 | Arson/incendiarism | 10,000 | 18.3 mi | |
| 2009 | Debris and open burning | 8,000 | 43.2 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5,600 | 17.5 mi | |
| 1996 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,119 | 33.5 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,000 | 20.6 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,000 | 30.9 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,900 | 49.8 mi | |
| 2008 | Equipment and vehicle use | 2,640 | 36.1 mi | |
| 1996 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,584 | 32.0 mi | |
| 2011 | Natural | 2,140 | 40.1 mi | |
| 2000 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,060 | 49.3 mi |
Top 5 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 Pottsboro. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
3 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Pottsboro.
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.