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 Bridge City responded to 71 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $17K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Unauthorized burning lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 72% of all calls.
Jul peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
462 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $19K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 80 | — | |
| 2022 | 94 | +17.5% | |
| 2023 | 104 | +10.6% | |
| 2024 | 113 | +8.7% | |
| 2025 | 71 | -37.2% |
For the 9 building fires Bridge City departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 105 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 | 29 | 27.6% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 13 | 12.4% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 10 | 9.5% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 6 | 5.7% | |
| 5 | Other | 4 | 3.8% | |
| 6 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 3 | 2.9% | |
| 7 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 3 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 3 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 28 | 26.7% |
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 Bridge City mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 48 | 45.7% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 9 | 8.6% | |
| 3 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 8 | 7.6% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 6 | 5.7% | |
| 5 | Heat source: other | 4 | 3.8% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 3.8% | |
| 7 | Match | 4 | 3.8% | |
| 8 | Cigarette lighter | 4 | 3.8% | |
| 9 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 12 | 11.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Bridge City departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $17,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Bridge City sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 209,128 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 14,169 | 34.2 mi | |
| 1994 | Arson/incendiarism | 13,400 | 35.5 mi | |
| 2000 | Natural | 13,000 | 37.2 mi | |
| 2005 | Natural | 12,154 | 28.0 mi | |
| 2014 | Natural | 11,218 | 23.1 mi | |
| 1992 | Debris and open burning | 11,210 | 24.4 mi | |
| 1994 | Arson/incendiarism | 9,912 | 30.7 mi | |
| 1992 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 9,000 | 33.7 mi | |
| 2014 | Natural | 8,874 | 22.8 mi | |
| 2015 | Natural | 8,358 | 33.6 mi | |
| 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 7,972 | 34.6 mi | |
| 2019 | Natural | 7,433 | 18.6 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 Bridge City. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Bridge City.
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.