North Texans and local organizations are rallying behind first responders working around the clock to battle the Ross Fire in Palo Pinto and Jack counties, collecting truckloads of water, sports drinks and other supplies for crews on the fireline. The Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office put out a c all for donations on Facebook, and Sgt. Timothy Wilson initially expected a modest response. “I was expecting to maybe fill up two of our pickups and take out there,” Wilson said. Instead, the department collected enough sports drinks and water to fill three pickup trucks and a box truck, surpassing its goal in just six hours. “I’ve got probably another 20, 000 pounds of water and Gatorade standing by waiting to go,” Wilson said. The donations allowed help to reach firefighters faster as crews continued battling the flames. “We’re gonna go around the north end of the fire and up into Young County,” Wilson said. Community members, including Regina Vasquez, stepped up to help. For Vasquez, the fire also hit close to home because of her family’s connection to scouting in Palo Pinto County. “Fire is always tragic. It’s also close to our hearts, because as a Boy Scout family, my Eagle Scout used to go camping right over there in Palo Pinto County with the Worth Ranch,” Vasquez said. The fire caused extensive damage at Worth Ranch, according to Wendy Shaw, a scout executive at Longhorn Council. “The damage level is catastrophic,” Shaw said. Shaw said only one staff member was on the property and evacuated. Several structures, however, were lost. “Our dining hall, the rangers’ residence and many other structures are gone,” Shaw said. While Longhorn Council hopes to rebuild, Shaw said its immediate focus is helping the men and women battling the fire. “We have started a collection for our firefighters to give them the necessary food and beverages and all the things that they have to continue to fight this fire,” Shaw said. This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC DFW. AI tools helped convert the story into a digital article, and an NBC DFW journalist edited it again before publication. ...read more read less