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 Tom Bean responded to 12 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $10K 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 75% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
98 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $10K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 16 | — | |
| 2022 | 23 | +43.8% | |
| 2023 | 32 | +39.1% | |
| 2024 | 15 | -53.1% | |
| 2025 | 12 | -20.0% |
For the 2 building fires Tom Bean departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 38 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 | 24 | 63.2% | |
| 2 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 3 | 7.9% | |
| 3 | Other | 2 | 5.3% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 5.3% | |
| 5 | Storage area, other | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 6 | Service facilities, other | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 7 | Equipment or service area, other | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 8 | Structural area, other | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 9 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 10 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 1 | 2.6% |
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 Tom Bean mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 8 | 21.1% | |
| 2 | Match | 7 | 18.4% | |
| 3 | Heat source: other | 4 | 10.5% | |
| 4 | Cigarette lighter | 4 | 10.5% | |
| 5 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 4 | 10.5% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 7.9% | |
| 7 | Arcing | 2 | 5.3% | |
| 8 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 5.3% | |
| 9 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 10 | Cigarette | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 2 | 5.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Tom Bean departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Tom Bean sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 39,702 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Arson/incendiarism | 10,000 | 24.8 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5,600 | 32.5 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,000 | 39.2 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,000 | 49.7 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 23.8 mi | |
| 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,700 | 18.4 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,680 | 36.1 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,200 | 43.5 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,000 | 48.2 mi | |
| 2005 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,000 | 18.5 mi | |
| 2005 | Natural | 1,000 | 46.8 mi | |
| 2005 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 960 | 10.9 mi |
Top 3 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 Tom Bean. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Tom Bean.
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.