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 Belton responded to 192 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $700K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Power line down lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 48% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
1,028 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $4.5M cumulative property loss. 2 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 152 | — | |
| 2022 | 250 | +64.5% | |
| 2023 | 247 | -1.2% | |
| 2024 | 187 | -24.3% | |
| 2025 | 192 | +2.7% |
For the 20 building fires Belton departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 302 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 | Undetermined | 58 | 19.2% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 55 | 18.2% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 32 | 10.6% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 29 | 9.6% | |
| 5 | Other | 21 | 7.0% | |
| 6 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 17 | 5.6% | |
| 7 | Cooking area, kitchen | 10 | 3.3% | |
| 8 | Vehicle area, other | 9 | 3.0% | |
| 9 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 8 | 2.6% | |
| 10 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 7 | 2.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 56 | 18.5% |
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 Belton mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 174 | 57.6% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 17 | 5.6% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 15 | 5.0% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 13 | 4.3% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 12 | 4.0% | |
| 6 | Cigarette lighter | 10 | 3.3% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 8 | 2.6% | |
| 8 | Heat source: other | 7 | 2.3% | |
| 9 | Heat, spark from friction | 7 | 2.3% | |
| 10 | Cigarette | 6 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 33 | 10.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Belton departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 89% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $700,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $250,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 3 | $80,000 | Outside equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $25,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $20,000 | Camper or recreational vehicle (RV) fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Belton sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 39,928 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6,180 | 20.7 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,700 | 19.8 mi | |
| 2009 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,000 | 24.5 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,887 | 31.9 mi | |
| 2008 | Debris and open burning | 2,106 | 33.6 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 20.8 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 17.4 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,635 | 42.1 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,500 | 22.0 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,500 | 21.2 mi | |
| 2008 | Debris and open burning | 1,480 | 34.9 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,452 | 25.1 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 Belton. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
4 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Belton.
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.