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 Brady responded to 65 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $150K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 43% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
302 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $342K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 68 | — | |
| 2022 | 75 | +10.3% | |
| 2023 | 46 | -38.7% | |
| 2024 | 48 | +4.3% | |
| 2025 | 65 | +35.4% |
For the 7 building fires Brady departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 187 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 | 48 | 25.7% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 25 | 13.4% | |
| 3 | Other | 13 | 7.0% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 11 | 5.9% | |
| 5 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 9 | 4.8% | |
| 6 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 9 | 4.8% | |
| 7 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 9 | 4.8% | |
| 8 | Wildland, woods | 7 | 3.7% | |
| 9 | Function area, other | 6 | 3.2% | |
| 10 | Structural area, other | 6 | 3.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 44 | 23.5% |
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 Brady mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 85 | 45.5% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 20 | 10.7% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 12 | 6.4% | |
| 4 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 11 | 5.9% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 9 | 4.8% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 9 | 4.8% | |
| 7 | Heat, spark from friction | 8 | 4.3% | |
| 8 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 7 | 3.7% | |
| 9 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 5 | 2.7% | |
| 10 | Match | 4 | 2.1% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 17 | 9.1% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Brady departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 97% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $150,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $30,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $25,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $15,000 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $10,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $6,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Brady sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 112,911 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Equipment and vehicle use | 13,343 | 19.3 mi | |
| 1993 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 12,892 | 25.1 mi | |
| 2015 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 10,468 | 32.1 mi | |
| 1993 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 10,106 | 37.6 mi | |
| 2020 | Equipment and vehicle use | 9,813 | 19.0 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6,623 | 32.7 mi | |
| 1999 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6,213 | 34.0 mi | |
| 2000 | Natural | 5,205 | 17.6 mi | |
| 2011 | Debris and open burning | 4,500 | 33.9 mi | |
| 2020 | Other causes | 3,507 | 36.8 mi | |
| 2015 | Equipment and vehicle use | 3,409 | 25.0 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,355 | 44.2 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 Brady. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Brady.
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.