The Ross Fire burning across Palo Pinto and Jack counties has scorched more than 85,000 acres and now ranks as the second-largest wildfire ever recorded in North Texas, officials said.
The blaze was about 26% contained as of Friday morning, according to the Texas A&M Forest Service wildfire tracker. The burn area is roughly five times the footprint of DFW International Airport.
Hundreds of firefighters and volunteers remain on the ground battling the flames. Improved weather conditions Thursday allowed crews to gain ground, and Mineral Wells Fire and EMS shared footage of firefighters working alongside other departments as a plane made water drops overhead.
Bulldozers have been cutting paths through debris to keep containment work moving. In an update from Palo Pinto County ESD1 on Friday morning, a spokesperson noted that rocky terrain along the western edge of the fire, below the Possum Kingdom hills, was making the dozer work more difficult.
Utility crews are also working to restore service in the fire zone. United Cooperative Services reported that 325 power poles have been damaged or knocked down, and roughly half have been replaced.
The cause of the fire, which began near Highway 180 in Palo Pinto, has not been released. Officials have not offered a firm timeline for full containment, pointing to shifting weather, wind, and humidity. No injuries have been reported.
Ranch Damage
Lake Godstone, a 188-acre nature sports retreat ranch in Palo Pinto County used for camping and family reunions, was among the properties reporting significant damage. Volunteer firefighters saved most of the structures on the property, using jugs and buckets filled with water from the nearby lake to extinguish hot spots, but nearly all of the vegetation burned.
Ranch manager Dominic Derosa estimated the damage in the millions of dollars.
“It means a lot to me. I’ve been here five years. I really did a lot of hard work in here, built this place up and made sure everything was nice for the guests to get here,” Derosa said, per Fox 4 KDFW. “It’s gonna take a while to clean it up, and a lot of work to get it done. Probably in the spring the grass will grow back, but I don’t know how long it’s going to take all the trees to come back.”
How To Help
Palo Pinto County ESD1 posted on social media on Friday morning that it was well-supplied with water and bottled drinks, thanks to the generosity of the local communities. However, other items are still needed, including hydration packets/electrolytes, nasal spray, Advil or Tylenol, energy drinks, allergy medications, chapstick, antibiotic ointment, and beef jerky or beef sticks. Monetary donations to help cover expenses are also appreciated.
Donations can be dropped off at the Clear Fork Bank in Mineral Wells.
Other agencies, animal shelters, and school districts across the Dallas-Fort Worth area are collecting donations for fire departments, affected families, displaced pets, and livestock. These include the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office at 1813 Cold Springs Road, the Humane Society of North Texas, the Jack County Rural Fire Department, Mineral Wells ISD, Graford ISD, and Gordon ISD.
