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 Hickory Creek responded to 50 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $521K 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. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
257 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $1.2M cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 39 | — | |
| 2022 | 59 | +51.3% | |
| 2023 | 69 | +16.9% | |
| 2024 | 40 | -42.0% | |
| 2025 | 50 | +25.0% |
For the 10 building fires Hickory Creek departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 44 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 | 14 | 31.8% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 5 | 11.4% | |
| 3 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 4 | 9.1% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 3 | 6.8% | |
| 5 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 3 | 6.8% | |
| 6 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 4.5% | |
| 7 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 2 | 4.5% | |
| 8 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 2 | 4.5% | |
| 9 | Interior stairway or ramp | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 10 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 7 | 15.9% |
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 Hickory Creek mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 20 | 45.5% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 5 | 11.4% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 6.8% | |
| 4 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 6.8% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 4.5% | |
| 6 | Chemical, natural heat source, other | 2 | 4.5% | |
| 7 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 8 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 9 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 10 | Fireworks | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 5 | 11.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Hickory Creek departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $521,200 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $150,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $12,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $10,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $5,000 | Chimney or flue fire, confined to chimney or flue | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $5,000 | Grass fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $500 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Hickory Creek sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 80,898 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 31,419 | 47.0 mi | |
| 1996 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 12,201 | 48.3 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6,000 | 46.8 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5,600 | 44.4 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,600 | 31.1 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,153 | 40.6 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 44.5 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 27.2 mi | |
| 2011 | Debris and open burning | 1,900 | 42.4 mi | |
| 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,700 | 42.2 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,500 | 44.4 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 1,300 | 45.6 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 Hickory Creek. 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.