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 Argyle responded to 56 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $75K 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 52% of all calls.
Jun peaks. Jul dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
357 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $2.4M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 62 | — | |
| 2022 | 73 | +17.7% | |
| 2023 | 62 | -15.1% | |
| 2024 | 104 | +67.7% | |
| 2025 | 56 | -46.2% |
For the 4 building fires Argyle departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 116 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 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 27 | 23.3% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 20 | 17.2% | |
| 3 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 15 | 12.9% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 13 | 11.2% | |
| 5 | Undetermined | 13 | 11.2% | |
| 6 | Wildland, woods | 4 | 3.4% | |
| 7 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 3 | 2.6% | |
| 8 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 3 | 2.6% | |
| 9 | Exterior, exposed surface | 3 | 2.6% | |
| 10 | Railroad right of way: on or near | 3 | 2.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 12 | 10.3% |
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 Argyle mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 70 | 60.3% | |
| 2 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 7 | 6.0% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 6 | 5.2% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 5 | 4.3% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 5 | 4.3% | |
| 6 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 4 | 3.4% | |
| 7 | Cigarette lighter | 4 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 2.6% | |
| 9 | Molten, hot material | 3 | 2.6% | |
| 10 | Lightning | 3 | 2.6% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 6 | 5.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Argyle departments in 2025. These 5 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $75,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $10,000 | Arcing, shorted electrical equipment | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $100 | Outside rubbish fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $50 | Forest, woods or wildland fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $1 | Grass fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Argyle sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 80,458 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 31,419 | 42.1 mi | |
| 1996 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 12,201 | 39.4 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5,600 | 46.0 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,600 | 22.2 mi | |
| 2009 | Equipment and vehicle use | 2,190 | 46.8 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,153 | 34.2 mi | |
| 2005 | Equipment and vehicle use | 2,000 | 44.6 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 38.7 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 23.5 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 48.6 mi | |
| 2011 | Debris and open burning | 1,900 | 33.4 mi | |
| 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,700 | 46.5 mi |
Top 6 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 Argyle. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Argyle.
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.