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 Cotulla responded to 106 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $86K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Grass fire lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 63% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Jun dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
406 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $102K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 65 | — | |
| 2022 | 88 | +35.4% | |
| 2023 | 64 | -27.3% | |
| 2024 | 83 | +29.7% | |
| 2025 | 106 | +27.7% |
For the 1 building fires Cotulla departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 184 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 | 100 | 54.3% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 13 | 7.1% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 13 | 7.1% | |
| 4 | Other | 12 | 6.5% | |
| 5 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 7 | 3.8% | |
| 6 | Vehicle area, other | 6 | 3.3% | |
| 7 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 5 | 2.7% | |
| 8 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 4 | 2.2% | |
| 9 | Wildland, woods | 3 | 1.6% | |
| 10 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 1.1% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 19 | 10.3% |
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 Cotulla mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 120 | 65.2% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 23 | 12.5% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 8 | 4.3% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 7 | 3.8% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 7 | 3.8% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 4 | 2.2% | |
| 7 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 1.6% | |
| 8 | Heat, spark from friction | 3 | 1.6% | |
| 9 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 1.1% | |
| 10 | Cigarette lighter | 2 | 1.1% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 5 | 2.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Cotulla departments in 2025. These 3 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $86,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $5,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $1,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Cotulla sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 120,326 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 67,500 | 15.3 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 19,000 | 7.4 mi | |
| 2006 | Recreation and ceremony | 10,919 | 41.0 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,000 | 11.0 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,000 | 44.7 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 49.3 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,500 | 12.6 mi | |
| 2009 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 1,300 | 12.7 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,000 | 45.5 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,000 | 49.1 mi | |
| 2008 | Equipment and vehicle use | 810 | 21.2 mi | |
| 2015 | Equipment and vehicle use | 806 | 46.7 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 Cotulla. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Cotulla.
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.