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 Fair Oaks Ranch responded to 27 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $20K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Arcing, shorted electrical equipment lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 59% of all calls.
Aug peaks. Jul dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
146 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $873K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 22 | — | |
| 2022 | 31 | +40.9% | |
| 2023 | 33 | +6.5% | |
| 2024 | 33 | +0.0% | |
| 2025 | 27 | -18.2% |
For the 2 building fires Fair Oaks Ranch departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 21 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 | 4 | 19.0% | |
| 2 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 9.5% | |
| 3 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 2 | 9.5% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 2 | 9.5% | |
| 5 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 2 | 9.5% | |
| 6 | Entrance way, lobby | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 7 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 8 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 9 | Roof surface: exterior | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 10 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 4 | 19.0% |
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 Fair Oaks Ranch mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 4 | 19.0% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 14.3% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 14.3% | |
| 4 | Lightning | 3 | 14.3% | |
| 5 | Heat from undetermined smoking material | 2 | 9.5% | |
| 6 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 2 | 9.5% | |
| 7 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 8 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 9 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 4.8% | |
| 10 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 4.8% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Fair Oaks Ranch departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Fair Oaks Ranch sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 27,379 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Debris and open burning | 3,300 | 47.7 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 45.5 mi | |
| 2008 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,800 | 49.5 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,500 | 29.6 mi | |
| 2000 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,200 | 37.4 mi | |
| 2001 | Debris and open burning | 1,175 | 40.0 mi | |
| 2011 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1,120 | 25.2 mi | |
| 2008 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,035 | 47.0 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,000 | 30.0 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,000 | 46.2 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,000 | 49.0 mi | |
| 2004 | Debris and open burning | 1,000 | 36.3 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 Fair Oaks Ranch. 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.