Ross wildfire was caused by tire blowout, investigators determine

Lillie Davidson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram on Sep 2, 2026

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The Ross wildfire currently scorching two North Texas counties was caused by a tire blowout, officials with the Texas A&M Forest Service have determined.

The fire has consumed more than 90,000 acres in Palo Pinto and Jack counties as of Wednesday, according to its tracking webpage on the Watch Duty alert platform.

“Texas A&M Forest Service Law Enforcement, working in coordination with local law enforcement agencies, have … determined the cause of the Ross Fire was human-caused,” officials with the forest service said. The start of the fire was traced to equipment used during a tire blowout.

Officials with the Palo Pinto County Emergency Services District reminded the public in a Facebook post Wednesday evening that “human-caused” does not mean the fire was intentionally set.

“We appreciate the work of the investigators who worked to determine the origin and cause of this historic wildfire,” the post read.

Crews fighting the fire took an innovative approach Monday, using ground vehicles to apply a fire retardant typically dropped from airplanes, according to a post on the forest service’s Facebook page. Firefighters applied the chemical along 4.5 miles of Highway 16 between Highway 254 and Red Bluff Road.

The approach allowed firefighters to place a “holding line” of retardant in areas with dense vegetation, narrow roadways and other hazards that could have complicated aerial operations, according to the post. The “holding line” will slow or stop the spread of the fire if it should intensify unexpectedly.

The ground application was the first of its kind in Texas firefighting history, officials said.

The fire was 38% contained as of Wednesday evening, according to the Watch Duty platform.