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 Whitewright responded to 75 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $525K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 61% of all calls.
Feb peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
447 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $1.1M cumulative property loss. 2 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 114 | — | |
| 2022 | 116 | +1.8% | |
| 2023 | 68 | -41.4% | |
| 2024 | 74 | +8.8% | |
| 2025 | 75 | +1.4% |
For the 16 building fires Whitewright departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 197 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 | 66 | 33.5% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 35 | 17.8% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 24 | 12.2% | |
| 4 | Other | 15 | 7.6% | |
| 5 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 12 | 6.1% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 7 | 3.6% | |
| 7 | Vehicle area, other | 7 | 3.6% | |
| 8 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 5 | 2.5% | |
| 9 | Wildland, woods | 4 | 2.0% | |
| 10 | Structural area, other | 3 | 1.5% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 19 | 9.6% |
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 Whitewright mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 89 | 45.2% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 22 | 11.2% | |
| 3 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 13 | 6.6% | |
| 4 | Match | 13 | 6.6% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 12 | 6.1% | |
| 6 | Cigarette lighter | 11 | 5.6% | |
| 7 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 7 | 3.6% | |
| 8 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 5 | 2.5% | |
| 9 | Arcing | 4 | 2.0% | |
| 10 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 4 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 17 | 8.6% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Whitewright departments in 2025. These 5 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $525,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $150,000 | Grass fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $80,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $8,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $2,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Whitewright sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 36,702 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 | 24.6 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5,600 | 37.3 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,000 | 43.5 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 18.9 mi | |
| 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,700 | 23.1 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,680 | 37.1 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,200 | 38.5 mi | |
| 2005 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,000 | 16.6 mi | |
| 2005 | Natural | 1,000 | 44.7 mi | |
| 2005 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 960 | 10.9 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 775 | 40.1 mi | |
| 2005 | Natural | 775 | 46.5 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 Whitewright. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
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.