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 Bee Cave responded to 45 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $50K 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 45% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
256 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $281K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 56 | — | |
| 2022 | 58 | +3.6% | |
| 2023 | 62 | +6.9% | |
| 2024 | 35 | -43.5% | |
| 2025 | 45 | +28.6% |
For the 3 building fires Bee Cave departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 50 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 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 12 | 24.0% | |
| 2 | Other | 9 | 18.0% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 5 | 10.0% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 4 | 8.0% | |
| 5 | Storage room, area, tank, or bin | 2 | 4.0% | |
| 6 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 2 | 4.0% | |
| 7 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 2 | 4.0% | |
| 8 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 2 | 4.0% | |
| 9 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 10 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 10 | 20.0% |
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 Bee Cave mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 27 | 54.0% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 3 | 6.0% | |
| 3 | Cigarette | 3 | 6.0% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 4.0% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 2 | 4.0% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 4.0% | |
| 7 | Match | 2 | 4.0% | |
| 8 | Chemical reaction | 2 | 4.0% | |
| 9 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 10 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 5 | 10.0% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Bee Cave departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $50,000 | Dumpster or other outside trash receptacle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $5,000 | Cooking fire, confined to container | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $3,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $3,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $2,000 | Trash or rubbish fire, contained | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $1,000 | Trash or rubbish fire, contained | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $1 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Bee Cave sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 73,987 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 34,068 | 45.2 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6,500 | 9.0 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6,030 | 47.8 mi | |
| 2008 | Debris and open burning | 2,106 | 45.2 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 45.6 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,500 | 46.2 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,500 | 12.4 mi | |
| 2009 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1,491 | 47.0 mi | |
| 2008 | Debris and open burning | 1,480 | 33.3 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,455 | 41.5 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,452 | 34.5 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,400 | 31.4 mi |
Top 4 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 Bee Cave. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
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.