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 Elmendorf responded to 78 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $20K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Unauthorized burning lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 68% of all calls.
Jul peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
237 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $431K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021* | 22 | — | |
| 2022 | 31 | — | |
| 2023 | 37 | +19.4% | |
| 2024 | 69 | +86.5% | |
| 2025 | 78 | +13.0% |
* Well below Elmendorf's usual volume. That almost always means one or more departments didn't submit a full year to NFIRS, not that fires dropped, so no year-over-year change is shown for it.
For the 1 building fires Elmendorf departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 33 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 | 10 | 30.3% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 5 | 15.2% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 9.1% | |
| 4 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 6.1% | |
| 5 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 6.1% | |
| 6 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 2 | 6.1% | |
| 7 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 6.1% | |
| 8 | Other | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 9 | Function area, other | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 10 | Bedroom - 5+ persons; including barrack/dormitory | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 4 | 12.1% |
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 Elmendorf mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 14 | 42.4% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 4 | 12.1% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 4 | 12.1% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 3 | 9.1% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 6 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 8 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 9 | Explosive, fireworks, other | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 10 | Incendiary device | 1 | 3.0% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 2 | 6.1% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Elmendorf departments in 2025. These 5 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $20,000 | Fire in motor home, camper, recreational vehicle | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $10,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $1,000 | Fires in structures other than in a building | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $700 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $500 | Fires in structures other than in a building | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Elmendorf sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 21,482 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 | 33.3 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,500 | 29.6 mi | |
| 2011 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1,120 | 29.2 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,085 | 25.7 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,000 | 29.5 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,000 | 9.3 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,000 | 35.0 mi | |
| 2006 | Equipment and vehicle use | 973 | 44.5 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 900 | 46.2 mi | |
| 2008 | Equipment and vehicle use | 866 | 47.2 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 800 | 19.9 mi | |
| 2009 | Equipment and vehicle use | 800 | 49.6 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 Elmendorf. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
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.