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 Horizon City responded to 77 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $50K 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 69% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
527 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $347K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 143 | — | |
| 2022 | 141 | -1.4% | |
| 2023 | 98 | -30.5% | |
| 2024 | 68 | -30.6% | |
| 2025 | 77 | +13.2% |
For the 8 building fires Horizon City departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 209 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 | 80 | 38.3% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 53 | 25.4% | |
| 3 | Other | 14 | 6.7% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 9 | 4.3% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 7 | 3.3% | |
| 6 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 6 | 2.9% | |
| 7 | Vehicle area, other | 5 | 2.4% | |
| 8 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 4 | 1.9% | |
| 9 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 3 | 1.4% | |
| 10 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 3 | 1.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 25 | 12.0% |
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 Horizon City mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 137 | 65.6% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 18 | 8.6% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 8 | 3.8% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 7 | 3.3% | |
| 5 | Match | 6 | 2.9% | |
| 6 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 5 | 2.4% | |
| 7 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 1.4% | |
| 8 | Multiple heat sources including multiple ignitions | 3 | 1.4% | |
| 9 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 1.0% | |
| 10 | Molten, hot material | 2 | 1.0% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 18 | 8.6% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Horizon City departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $7,500 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $7,500 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $2,000 | Fires in structures other than in a building | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $1,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $500 | Fires in structures other than in a building | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $500 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Horizon City sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 72,503 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Natural | 14,103 | 40.3 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 13,424 | 45.8 mi | |
| 1994 | Natural | 9,000 | 31.2 mi | |
| 1993 | Natural | 8,900 | 38.2 mi | |
| 2010 | Arson/incendiarism | 5,160 | 46.9 mi | |
| 2009 | Arson/incendiarism | 5,000 | 49.4 mi | |
| 1993 | Natural | 4,115 | 48.1 mi | |
| 2010 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,582 | 44.6 mi | |
| 2009 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,150 | 48.7 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,735 | 49.9 mi | |
| 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,100 | 46.4 mi | |
| 2018 | Natural | 1,050 | 36.6 mi |
Top 2 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 Horizon City. 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.