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.
TX
In 2025, fire departments serving Wilmer responded to 79 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $150K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Passenger vehicle fire lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 71% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
481 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $1.5M cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 93 | — | |
| 2022 | 126 | +35.5% | |
| 2023 | 98 | -22.2% | |
| 2024 | 85 | -13.3% | |
| 2025 | 79 | -7.1% |
For the 7 building fires Wilmer departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 238 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 | 71 | 29.8% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 31 | 13.0% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 25 | 10.5% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 19 | 8.0% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 15 | 6.3% | |
| 6 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 15 | 6.3% | |
| 7 | Other | 14 | 5.9% | |
| 8 | Vehicle area, other | 7 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 4 | 1.7% | |
| 10 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 4 | 1.7% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 33 | 13.9% |
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 Wilmer mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 155 | 65.1% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 14 | 5.9% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 13 | 5.5% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 8 | 3.4% | |
| 5 | Cigarette lighter | 8 | 3.4% | |
| 6 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 7 | 2.9% | |
| 7 | Heat, spark from friction | 6 | 2.5% | |
| 8 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 4 | 1.7% | |
| 9 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 1.7% | |
| 10 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 4 | 1.7% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 15 | 6.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Wilmer departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 85% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $150,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $100,000 | Fire in mobile home used as fixed residence | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $40,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $30,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $20,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Wilmer sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 24,498 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6,000 | 6.1 mi | |
| 2011 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 2,350 | 47.1 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 37.3 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,500 | 50.0 mi | |
| 2006 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,280 | 19.3 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,100 | 45.0 mi | |
| 2019 | Debris and open burning | 1,100 | 36.9 mi | |
| 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,000 | 36.6 mi | |
| 2017 | Debris and open burning | 1,000 | 33.2 mi | |
| 2006 | Equipment and vehicle use | 700 | 20.0 mi | |
| 2018 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 508 | 19.8 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 | 48.3 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 Wilmer. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Wilmer.
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.