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 Heath responded to 72 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $2K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 72% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Jun dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
413 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $3.2M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 60 | — | |
| 2022 | 94 | +56.7% | |
| 2023 | 86 | -8.5% | |
| 2024 | 101 | +17.4% | |
| 2025 | 72 | -28.7% |
For the 5 building fires Heath departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 87 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 | Outside area, other | 20 | 23.0% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 17 | 19.5% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 11 | 12.6% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 9 | 10.3% | |
| 5 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 7 | 8.0% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 4 | 4.6% | |
| 7 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 2.3% | |
| 9 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 2 | 2.3% | |
| 10 | Wildland, woods | 2 | 2.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 10 | 11.5% |
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 Heath mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 35 | 40.2% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 8 | 9.2% | |
| 3 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 6 | 6.9% | |
| 4 | Lightning | 6 | 6.9% | |
| 5 | Heat source: other | 4 | 4.6% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 4.6% | |
| 7 | Cigarette lighter | 4 | 4.6% | |
| 8 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Chemical reaction | 3 | 3.4% | |
| 10 | Match | 2 | 2.3% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 12 | 13.8% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Heath departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $2,000 | Outside equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Heath sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 19,650 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6,000 | 23.1 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 47.7 mi | |
| 2006 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,280 | 39.6 mi | |
| 2017 | Debris and open burning | 1,000 | 43.5 mi | |
| 2005 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 960 | 35.9 mi | |
| 2006 | Equipment and vehicle use | 700 | 40.9 mi | |
| 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 630 | 43.0 mi | |
| 2018 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 508 | 38.3 mi | |
| 2005 | Equipment and vehicle use | 500 | 49.8 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 | 9.3 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 500 | 32.3 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 | 41.6 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 Heath. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Heath.
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.