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 Bulverde responded to 125 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $39K 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 52% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Oct dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
678 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $3.5M cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 127 | — | |
| 2022 | 130 | +2.4% | |
| 2023 | 175 | +34.6% | |
| 2024 | 121 | -30.9% | |
| 2025 | 125 | +3.3% |
For the 7 building fires Bulverde departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 199 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 | 55 | 27.6% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 22 | 11.1% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 20 | 10.1% | |
| 4 | Other | 19 | 9.5% | |
| 5 | Outside area, other | 19 | 9.5% | |
| 6 | Wildland, woods | 9 | 4.5% | |
| 7 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 7 | 3.5% | |
| 8 | Storage area, other | 5 | 2.5% | |
| 9 | Cooking area, kitchen | 4 | 2.0% | |
| 10 | Wall surface: exterior | 4 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 35 | 17.6% |
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 Bulverde mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 109 | 54.8% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 19 | 9.5% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 12 | 6.0% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 10 | 5.0% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 6 | 3.0% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 6 | 3.0% | |
| 7 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 6 | 3.0% | |
| 8 | Match | 4 | 2.0% | |
| 9 | Lightning | 4 | 2.0% | |
| 10 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 4 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 19 | 9.5% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Bulverde departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 93% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $38,500 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $25,000 | Fire in motor home, camper, recreational vehicle | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $20,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $15,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $15,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $10,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $6,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Bulverde sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 31,352 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 | 6,500 | 47.2 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 43.8 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 46.5 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,500 | 18.7 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,500 | 48.4 mi | |
| 2000 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,200 | 47.3 mi | |
| 2001 | Debris and open burning | 1,175 | 28.0 mi | |
| 2011 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1,120 | 32.8 mi | |
| 2008 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,035 | 39.8 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,000 | 19.1 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,000 | 45.1 mi | |
| 2004 | Debris and open burning | 1,000 | 30.8 mi |
Top 10 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 Bulverde. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Bulverde.
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.