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 Whitesboro responded to 164 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $1.0M building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Grass fire lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 63% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
794 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $2.9M cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 173 | — | |
| 2022 | 206 | +19.1% | |
| 2023 | 102 | -50.5% | |
| 2024 | 149 | +46.1% | |
| 2025 | 164 | +10.1% |
For the 20 building fires Whitesboro departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 213 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 | 68 | 31.9% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 30 | 14.1% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 26 | 12.2% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 8 | 3.8% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 7 | 3.3% | |
| 6 | Other | 6 | 2.8% | |
| 7 | Wildland, woods | 6 | 2.8% | |
| 8 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 5 | 2.3% | |
| 9 | Function area, other | 4 | 1.9% | |
| 10 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 4 | 1.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 49 | 23.0% |
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 Whitesboro mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 117 | 54.9% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 18 | 8.5% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 12 | 5.6% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 9 | 4.2% | |
| 5 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 7 | 3.3% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 7 | 3.3% | |
| 7 | Heat source: other | 5 | 2.3% | |
| 8 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 4 | 1.9% | |
| 9 | Lightning | 4 | 1.9% | |
| 10 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 3 | 1.4% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 27 | 12.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Whitesboro departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,000,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $125,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $80,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $15,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $3,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $100 | Fire in portable building, fixed location | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Whitesboro sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 89,315 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 | 35.9 mi | |
| 2005 | Arson/incendiarism | 10,000 | 33.5 mi | |
| 2009 | Debris and open burning | 8,000 | 37.3 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5,600 | 7.5 mi | |
| 1996 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,119 | 31.0 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,000 | 16.8 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,000 | 40.2 mi | |
| 2008 | Equipment and vehicle use | 2,640 | 42.5 mi | |
| 1996 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,584 | 29.6 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 47.9 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,940 | 34.8 mi | |
| 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,700 | 9.0 mi |
Top 8 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 Whitesboro. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Whitesboro.
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.