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 Columbus responded to 109 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $200K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Natural vegetation fire, other lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 66% of all calls.
Sep peaks. Nov dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
592 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $3.1M cumulative property loss. 2 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 97 | — | |
| 2022 | 151 | +55.7% | |
| 2023 | 120 | -20.5% | |
| 2024 | 115 | -4.2% | |
| 2025 | 109 | -5.2% |
For the 7 building fires Columbus departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 226 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 | 80 | 35.4% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 43 | 19.0% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 31 | 13.7% | |
| 4 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 17 | 7.5% | |
| 5 | Other | 7 | 3.1% | |
| 6 | Storage: supplies or tools; dead storage | 5 | 2.2% | |
| 7 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 4 | 1.8% | |
| 8 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 4 | 1.8% | |
| 9 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 3 | 1.3% | |
| 10 | Railroad right of way: on or near | 3 | 1.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 29 | 12.8% |
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 Columbus mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 112 | 49.6% | |
| 2 | Heat, spark from friction | 29 | 12.8% | |
| 3 | Molten, hot material | 18 | 8.0% | |
| 4 | Hot ember or ash | 15 | 6.6% | |
| 5 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 9 | 4.0% | |
| 6 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 8 | 3.5% | |
| 7 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 6 | 2.7% | |
| 8 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 5 | 2.2% | |
| 9 | Match | 5 | 2.2% | |
| 10 | Arcing | 3 | 1.3% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 16 | 7.1% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Columbus departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $200,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $200,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $30,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $25,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $3,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $2,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $2,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Columbus sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 26,811 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 | 6,426 | 41.2 mi | |
| 2015 | Equipment and vehicle use | 4,582 | 43.7 mi | |
| 2011 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 3,085 | 8.3 mi | |
| 2011 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 2,700 | 26.6 mi | |
| 2009 | Fireworks | 1,804 | 4.0 mi | |
| 2009 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1,491 | 47.7 mi | |
| 1998 | Equipment and vehicle use | 700 | 24.7 mi | |
| 2009 | Debris and open burning | 700 | 49.0 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 659 | 19.5 mi | |
| 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 400 | 44.9 mi | |
| 1999 | Smoking | 400 | 40.8 mi | |
| 1999 | Other causes | 352 | 16.2 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 Columbus. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Columbus.
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.