Ross Fire in North Texas Reaches 100% Containment After 90,000-Acre Run
The Ross Fire near Palo Pinto, Texas burned about 90,000 acres and destroyed at least 167 structures before crews fully contained it on Sept. 16.
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In 2025, fire departments serving Aransas Pass responded to 154 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $650K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 59% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
816 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $2.2M cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 163 | — | |
| 2022 | 191 | +17.2% | |
| 2023 | 147 | -23.0% | |
| 2024 | 161 | +9.5% | |
| 2025 | 154 | -4.3% |
For the 10 building fires Aransas Pass departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 301 building fires investigators classified across 2021–2025. The room or location where ignition occurred — kitchens, bedrooms, exterior, vehicle areas — tells you where to focus prevention.
| # | Area of origin | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Outside area, other | 78 | 25.9% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 62 | 20.6% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 34 | 11.3% | |
| 4 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 21 | 7.0% | |
| 5 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 19 | 6.3% | |
| 6 | Other | 10 | 3.3% | |
| 7 | Cooking area, kitchen | 7 | 2.3% | |
| 8 | Wildland, woods | 6 | 2.0% | |
| 9 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 5 | 1.7% | |
| 10 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 5 | 1.7% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 54 | 17.9% |
NFIRS Heat Source (HEAT_SOURC) — the physical thing that started it. Spark or ember from operating equipment, an open flame, smoking materials, or hot embers from a fireplace are the leading culprits nationwide. Here's the Aransas Pass mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 204 | 67.8% | |
| 2 | Fireworks | 18 | 6.0% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 16 | 5.3% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 13 | 4.3% | |
| 5 | Heat source: other | 6 | 2.0% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 5 | 1.7% | |
| 7 | Cigarette | 5 | 1.7% | |
| 8 | Cigarette lighter | 5 | 1.7% | |
| 9 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 5 | 1.7% | |
| 10 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 4 | 1.3% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 20 | 6.6% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Aransas Pass departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $650,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $2,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Aransas Pass sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 72,704 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Natural | 12,998 | 38.9 mi | |
| 2005 | Natural | 10,003 | 38.3 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5,847 | 32.5 mi | |
| 2008 | Equipment and vehicle use | 4,934 | 29.8 mi | |
| 2018 | Natural | 4,517 | 48.6 mi | |
| 2001 | Debris and open burning | 3,980 | 28.5 mi | |
| 2009 | Debris and open burning | 3,500 | 31.4 mi | |
| 2008 | Debris and open burning | 3,000 | 28.0 mi | |
| 2009 | Natural | 2,548 | 42.0 mi | |
| 2001 | Natural | 2,344 | 49.3 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 46.7 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 44.6 mi |
Top 10 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Texas cities with population within ±25% of Aransas Pass. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Aransas Pass.
A 30-minute weekend can cut your home's exposure substantially. These four checklists are a good starting point.
Numbers reflect incidents reported by participating fire departments to the National Fire Incident Reporting System (NFIRS) Public Data Release for calendar year 2025. NFIRS is voluntary — about 23,000 of roughly 30,000 US fire departments report — so totals are a strong indicator, not a complete census. Per-capita comparisons use 2023 ACS population estimates. Wildland fire data complements NFIRS with NIFC and USFS perimeters. Active-fire counts come from a dated NIFC snapshot, not a live feed.