PALO PINTO, Texas - As crews continue to battle the Ross Fire in Palo Pinto and Jack counties, people from all over North Texas are lending a helping hand.
Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office
The Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office put out a request that was simple – please donate anything to help crews fighting the flames in the triple-digit heat.
Donations of water and electrolyte drinks came pouring in.
What they're saying:
Liz Sunderman came all the way from Mansfield to drop off donations.
"Our firefighters do so much. They are real. They have such an enormous task ahead of them, trying to battle this wildfire. It's the least I can do to help out," she said.
"This is just a small part of us being able to give back to, you know, assisting Texans and help. And something like this is just devastating for local communities. So, we always do what we can in whatever small way we can, even if it's just in bottles of water," added Justin Carvajal, another donor.
What you can do:
Additional donations can be dropped off at 1813 Cold Springs Road in Fort Worth.
Humane Society of North Texas
The Humane Society of North Texas on Wednesday took in 29 cats and 11 dogs from Mineral Wells. The idea was to clear enough kennel space there so lost pets would have a place to be reunited with their owners.
The animals brough to the shelter in Fort Worth will be given some time to calm down and get any medical care they might need before being put up for adoption.
What they're saying:
"And so, we have worked really, really hard over the last few days to clear out some kennel space by adopting out as many pets as we can, by getting as many pets into foster care that we can, to open a critical space to be able to assist our neighborhood shelters," said Cassie Davidson, the organization’s vice president.
She said the community and volunteer efforts show you don’t need a fire hose to help fight a fire.
"I think it just shows the goodness in humanity. For us, it's just natural pets and people saving each other, and it's just natural for us. Anytime there's hurricanes or wildfires, people always step up to help," Davidson said.
Ross Fire in Texas grows to 80,000 acres as winds shift
Crews are working around the clock to control a rapidly growing wildfire burning out of control in Palo Pinto and Jack counties, west of Fort Worth.
Palo Pinto County ESD1
The emergency services department working on the front lines asked that people not travel to the area to drop off donations. Instead, they are seeking monetary donations.
More Info: https://buy.stripe.com/6oU28sf3r5FIfR31TQdjO00
Jack County Rural Fire Department
The department said all donations would go to support fire department operations in Jack County.
More Info: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=8X8R2XKQWA8SY
Mineral Wells ISD
The Mineral Wells volleyball family is collecting donations to support the people on the front lines.
More Info: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=122129457231341739&set=a.122108522871341739
Graford ISD
Graford FCCLA and Graford STUCO members are collecting gift cards to help families in the community who have been affected by the wildfire.
More Info: https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=28624539173817099&set=a.548711241826602
Gordon ISD
Gordon ISD, which got help from the community after a tornado destroyed their school and football field back in 2025, is hoping to pay it forward. The school district is collecting supplies for firefighters in a trailer box set up in front of the secondary school.
More Info: https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=1486908276767286&set=a.126545352803592
The Source: FOX 4's Vania Castillo collected information from this story by interviewing officials and donors at the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office and Humane Society of North Texas. Other details are from local agency and school district websites.