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 Dripping Springs responded to 172 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $400K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Authorized controlled burning lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 64% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
978 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $2.1M cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 160 | — | |
| 2022 | 196 | +22.5% | |
| 2023 | 320 | +63.3% | |
| 2024 | 130 | -59.4% | |
| 2025 | 172 | +32.3% |
For the 9 building fires Dripping Springs departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 114 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 | 19 | 16.7% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 18 | 15.8% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 18 | 15.8% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 6 | 5.3% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 5 | 4.4% | |
| 6 | Wall surface: exterior | 5 | 4.4% | |
| 7 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 4 | 3.5% | |
| 8 | Other | 3 | 2.6% | |
| 9 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 3 | 2.6% | |
| 10 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 2.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 30 | 26.3% |
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 Dripping Springs mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 56 | 49.1% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 9 | 7.9% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 7 | 6.1% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 6 | 5.3% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 6 | 5.3% | |
| 6 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 4 | 3.5% | |
| 7 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 4 | 3.5% | |
| 8 | Heat, spark from friction | 3 | 2.6% | |
| 9 | Lightning | 3 | 2.6% | |
| 10 | Heat source: other | 2 | 1.8% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 14 | 12.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Dripping Springs departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 99% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $400,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $216,600 | Fire in mobile home used as fixed residence | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $100,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $52,000 | Camper or recreational vehicle (RV) fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $30,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $20,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Dripping Springs sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
7 fire-related casualties recorded in NFIRS Module 11 across the 2021–2025 window. Age, gender, and severity are coarse-binned — no individual identification possible.
| Age | Count | |
|---|---|---|
| 0-9 | 1 | |
| 10-19 | 0 | |
| 20-29 | 0 | |
| 30-39 | 1 | |
| 40-49 | 1 | |
| 50-59 | 2 | |
| 60-69 | 0 | |
| 70-79 | 0 | |
| 80+ | 0 |
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 38,722 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 | 13.1 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6,030 | 49.1 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 39.9 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,500 | 37.2 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,500 | 15.6 mi | |
| 2008 | Debris and open burning | 1,480 | 41.6 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,455 | 49.2 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,452 | 44.8 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,400 | 40.0 mi | |
| 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,200 | 42.2 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 1,200 | 37.2 mi | |
| 2001 | Debris and open burning | 1,175 | 18.6 mi |
Top 4 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 Dripping Springs. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
3 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Dripping Springs.
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.