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 Wolfe City responded to 36 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $100K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Brush, or brush and grass mixture fire lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 64% of all calls.
Aug peaks. Mar dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
187 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $892K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 35 | — | |
| 2022 | 43 | +22.9% | |
| 2023 | 33 | -23.3% | |
| 2024 | 40 | +21.2% | |
| 2025 | 36 | -10.0% |
For the 3 building fires Wolfe City departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 61 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 | 28 | 45.9% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 12 | 19.7% | |
| 3 | Other | 8 | 13.1% | |
| 4 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 5 | 8.2% | |
| 5 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 6 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 7 | Equipment or service area, other | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 8 | Ceiling & floor assembly, crawl space b/t stories | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 9 | Wall surface: exterior | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 10 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 1 | 1.6% |
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 Wolfe City mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 41 | 67.2% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 5 | 8.2% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 4.9% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 4.9% | |
| 5 | Cigarette lighter | 3 | 4.9% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 7 | Arcing | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 8 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 9 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 10 | Chemical reaction | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 1.6% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Wolfe City departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $100,000 | Fires in structures other than in a building | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $45,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Wolfe City sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 26,351 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 | 38.5 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 14.2 mi | |
| 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,700 | 44.2 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,200 | 17.6 mi | |
| 2005 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,000 | 28.4 mi | |
| 2005 | Natural | 1,000 | 49.3 mi | |
| 2005 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 960 | 22.5 mi | |
| 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 721 | 46.4 mi | |
| 2007 | Debris and open burning | 700 | 49.5 mi | |
| 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 630 | 45.6 mi | |
| 2011 | Equipment and vehicle use | 500 | 42.5 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 | 44.4 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 Wolfe City. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Wolfe City.
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.