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 Sulphur Springs responded to 211 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $100K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 60% of all calls.
Mar peaks. May dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
1,273 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $1.2M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 251 | — | |
| 2022 | 196 | -21.9% | |
| 2023 | 314 | +60.2% | |
| 2024 | 301 | -4.1% | |
| 2025 | 211 | -29.9% |
For the 18 building fires Sulphur Springs departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 396 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 | 282 | 71.2% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 23 | 5.8% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 16 | 4.0% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 12 | 3.0% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 10 | 2.5% | |
| 6 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 6 | 1.5% | |
| 7 | Vehicle area, other | 5 | 1.3% | |
| 8 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 5 | 1.3% | |
| 9 | Other | 4 | 1.0% | |
| 10 | Wildland, woods | 4 | 1.0% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 29 | 7.3% |
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 Sulphur Springs mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 335 | 84.6% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 12 | 3.0% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 8 | 2.0% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 7 | 1.8% | |
| 5 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 5 | 1.3% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 4 | 1.0% | |
| 7 | Heat source: other | 3 | 0.8% | |
| 8 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 3 | 0.8% | |
| 9 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 0.5% | |
| 10 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 0.5% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 15 | 3.8% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Sulphur Springs departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 77% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $100,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $80,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $75,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $35,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $35,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $30,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $25,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Sulphur Springs sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 15,152 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 40.1 mi | |
| 2005 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,540 | 45.2 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,200 | 14.5 mi | |
| 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 721 | 26.8 mi | |
| 2011 | Debris and open burning | 661 | 31.0 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 655 | 36.2 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 600 | 41.1 mi | |
| 2009 | Recreation and ceremony | 550 | 46.3 mi | |
| 2009 | Debris and open burning | 535 | 47.1 mi | |
| 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 513 | 48.1 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 511 | 48.7 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 | 48.9 mi |
Top 4 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 Sulphur Springs. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
5 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Sulphur Springs.
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.