Jack County Ranchers Hit by the Ross Fire Have Until Jan. 13 to Seek State Rebuilding Help

The smoke over Jack County cleared weeks ago, but the work of the Ross Fire is not finished. Jacksboro's first responders sat down together last week to go over how they fought it, and ranchers who lost fences, barns and feed have until Jan. 13 to ask the state for help rebuilding.

Looking back at the fire

The Jacksboro Fire Department held an after-action review of the Ross Fire with other first responders during the week of Oct. 26, according to the city's weekly activity report. The report says the purpose was "to discuss things that went well, and areas for improvement in the event of another large fire or other emergency response incident."

The fire was a big one. It started Aug. 24 in Palo Pinto County, grew to five alarms within an hour and spread north into Jack County, NBC 5 reported. The Texas A&M Forest Service declared it 100% contained on Sept. 17, after 23 days, at 89,989 acres. More than 500 first responders worked the fire.

The National Weather Service in Fort Worth called it the second-largest wildfire in the region's history, behind only the 2011 PK Complex Fire, which burned roughly 127,000 acres. At least 150 structures were destroyed, including at least 18 homes, according to the station, though a full count of the damage was not yet available. Officials said the fire was started accidentally by someone using equipment, and the cause remained under investigation.

A satellite image of the Ross Fire burning in North Texas on Aug. 26, 2026, from NOAA's JPSS satellites. Photo: CSU/CIRA and NOAA/NESDIS / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain.

Help for ranchers, with a deadline

Two days after the fire started, Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller activated the State of Texas Agriculture Relief Fund, known as the STAR Fund, along with the Texas Department of Agriculture's Hay and Feed Hotline. At that point more than 1,000 area residents had been evacuated, the agency said.

"This fire has moved with extraordinary speed, threatening livestock, fences, barns and generations of hard work," Miller said at the time.

The STAR Fund helps farmers, ranchers and agricultural businesses repair or replace farm and ranch infrastructure damaged in a disaster. The department's STAR Fund page lists the Ross Wildfire application deadline for Jack and Palo Pinto counties as Jan. 13, 2027, at 11:59 p.m. Central time. Miller approved a cost share of up to 80% of eligible expenses.

There are limits. Applicants must show the expenses were tied to agricultural production, caused directly by the disaster and not paid for by insurance or another government program. Commercial producers and nonprofits qualify, but backyard gardens and hobby farms do not. Only one application is allowed per operation, no matter how many owners it has, and an operation may receive only one award every 24 months.

Producers can call the STAR Fund at (833) 380-8282. The Hay and Feed Hotline, which connects donors with producers who need hay and feed, is (877) 429-1998. The AgriStress Helpline, a free, confidential crisis line for farmers, ranchers and rural Texans, can be reached by call or text at (833) 897-2474.

Also in Jacksboro

The same city report noted that crews coordinated parking at the lake for the film production of "Landman," and that the police department said farewell to Lt. Alvin Bilby on his retirement. A Veterans Day tribute is planned for Nov. 11 at Jack County Memorial Park. The City Council's only November meeting is set for Nov. 9 at 5:30 p.m.

For more on fire risk and the weather ahead, see our reports on Texas burn bans and the winter outlook for farmers and ranchers.

Our view

When a fire takes a rancher's fences and pasture, it takes more than property. It takes years of labor and, for many families, a way of life handed down from parents and grandparents. The state was right to move quickly in August, and it should keep showing up now.

The STAR Fund is a good tool, but only if people use it. Anyone who knows a rancher hit by this fire should make sure that rancher knows about the Jan. 13 deadline. And Jacksboro deserves credit for doing the unglamorous thing after the crisis passed: sitting down to ask what went right and what went wrong. That is good stewardship.