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 Somerset responded to 23 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Incomplete 2025 data. Somerset's departments reported 23 incidents to NFIRS for 2025, against about 46 in a typical year, so 2025 figures on this page undercount. The 2021–2025 totals are the better guide.
Unauthorized burning lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 78% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
232 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $30K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 40 | — | |
| 2022 | 96 | +140.0% | |
| 2023 | 52 | -45.8% | |
| 2024* | 21 | — | |
| 2025* | 23 | — |
* Well below Somerset'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 4 building fires Somerset departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 29 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 | 9 | 31.0% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 8 | 27.6% | |
| 3 | Other | 3 | 10.3% | |
| 4 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 5 | Storage: supplies or tools; dead storage | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 6 | Conduit, pipe, utility, or ventilation shaft | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 7 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Vehicle area, other | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 10 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 2 | 6.9% |
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 Somerset mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 13 | 44.8% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 6 | 20.7% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 10.3% | |
| 4 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 2 | 6.9% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 7 | Match | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Radiated heat from another fire | 1 | 3.4% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Somerset sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 20,487 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,800 | 30.9 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,500 | 42.5 mi | |
| 2011 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1,120 | 14.1 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,085 | 20.0 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,000 | 42.6 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,000 | 19.7 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,000 | 16.6 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 900 | 26.7 mi | |
| 2008 | Debris and open burning | 800 | 45.9 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 800 | 22.6 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 750 | 33.7 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 700 | 28.2 mi |
Top 7 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 Somerset. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Somerset.
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.