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 Bellaire responded to 92 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $40K 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 67% of all calls.
Jun peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
486 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $933K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 82 | — | |
| 2022 | 82 | +0.0% | |
| 2023 | 93 | +13.4% | |
| 2024 | 137 | +47.3% | |
| 2025 | 92 | -32.8% |
For the 6 building fires Bellaire departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 97 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 | 27 | 27.8% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 16 | 16.5% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 12 | 12.4% | |
| 4 | Other | 5 | 5.2% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 4 | 4.1% | |
| 6 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 4 | 4.1% | |
| 7 | Wall surface: exterior | 3 | 3.1% | |
| 8 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 3 | 3.1% | |
| 9 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 3 | 3.1% | |
| 10 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 3.1% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 17 | 17.5% |
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 Bellaire mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 51 | 52.6% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 10 | 10.3% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 8 | 8.2% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 5 | 5.2% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 5 | 5.2% | |
| 6 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 5 | 5.2% | |
| 7 | Heat source: other | 3 | 3.1% | |
| 8 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 2.1% | |
| 9 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 2.1% | |
| 10 | Match | 2 | 2.1% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 4 | 4.1% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Bellaire departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $40,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $30,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $20,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $10,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $7,000 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $5,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $1,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $200 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Bellaire sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 62,190 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Natural | 19,960 | 44.5 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6,426 | 30.3 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5,280 | 49.7 mi | |
| 2000 | Natural | 5,000 | 47.3 mi | |
| 2002 | Natural | 4,028 | 40.2 mi | |
| 1997 | Natural | 2,550 | 42.7 mi | |
| 2013 | Debris and open burning | 1,757 | 18.7 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,622 | 13.5 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,500 | 31.5 mi | |
| 1998 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,300 | 39.3 mi | |
| 2016 | Debris and open burning | 1,210 | 40.0 mi | |
| 1996 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,200 | 39.7 mi |
Top 3 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 Bellaire. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Bellaire.
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.