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 Converse responded to 167 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $100K 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 70% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
844 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $2.6M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 193 | — | |
| 2022 | 155 | -19.7% | |
| 2023 | 137 | -11.6% | |
| 2024 | 192 | +40.1% | |
| 2025 | 167 | -13.0% |
For the 44 building fires Converse departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 171 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 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 29 | 17.0% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 18 | 10.5% | |
| 3 | Cooking area, kitchen | 16 | 9.4% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 12 | 7.0% | |
| 5 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 11 | 6.4% | |
| 6 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 8 | 4.7% | |
| 7 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 8 | 4.7% | |
| 8 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 6 | 3.5% | |
| 9 | Wall surface: exterior | 5 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 5 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 53 | 31.0% |
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 Converse mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 58 | 33.9% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 21 | 12.3% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 18 | 10.5% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 13 | 7.6% | |
| 5 | Heat source: other | 12 | 7.0% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 8 | 4.7% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 5 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Fireworks | 5 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Lightning | 5 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Cigarette lighter | 4 | 2.3% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 22 | 12.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Converse departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 72% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $80,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $80,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $75,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $75,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $70,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Converse sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 22,533 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 30.1 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,500 | 14.0 mi | |
| 2001 | Debris and open burning | 1,175 | 34.7 mi | |
| 2011 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1,120 | 29.2 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,085 | 41.5 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,000 | 14.0 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,000 | 26.6 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,000 | 45.2 mi | |
| 2004 | Debris and open burning | 1,000 | 49.0 mi | |
| 2006 | Equipment and vehicle use | 973 | 28.4 mi | |
| 2006 | Debris and open burning | 956 | 47.8 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 900 | 48.2 mi |
Top 5 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 Converse. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Converse.
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.