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 Donna responded to 303 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $50K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Outside rubbish, trash or waste fire lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 55% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
1,405 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $512K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 288 | — | |
| 2022 | 200 | -30.6% | |
| 2023 | 271 | +35.5% | |
| 2024 | 343 | +26.6% | |
| 2025 | 303 | -11.7% |
For the 20 building fires Donna departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 220 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 | 159 | 72.3% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 15 | 6.8% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 11 | 5.0% | |
| 4 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 9 | 4.1% | |
| 5 | Other | 7 | 3.2% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 6 | 2.7% | |
| 7 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 1.4% | |
| 8 | Structural area, other | 2 | 0.9% | |
| 9 | Entrance way, lobby | 1 | 0.5% | |
| 10 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 1 | 0.5% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 6 | 2.7% |
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 Donna mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 192 | 87.3% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 8 | 3.6% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 1.4% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 1.4% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 0.9% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 0.9% | |
| 7 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 2 | 0.9% | |
| 8 | Match | 2 | 0.9% | |
| 9 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 0.5% | |
| 10 | Fireworks | 1 | 0.5% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 4 | 1.8% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Donna departments in 2025. These 3 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $30,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Donna sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 67,108 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 | 25,600 | 28.5 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 8,000 | 43.2 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,200 | 48.4 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,600 | 23.8 mi | |
| 2007 | Debris and open burning | 2,500 | 45.8 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,500 | 47.3 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 44.9 mi | |
| 2008 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,600 | 29.2 mi | |
| 2008 | Debris and open burning | 1,500 | 42.0 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,500 | 26.0 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,500 | 27.6 mi | |
| 2010 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 1,500 | 46.5 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 Donna. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Donna.
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.