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 Justin responded to 67 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $15K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 73% of all calls.
May peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
258 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $301K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 38 | — | |
| 2022 | 53 | +39.5% | |
| 2023 | 35 | -34.0% | |
| 2024 | 65 | +85.7% | |
| 2025 | 67 | +3.1% |
For the 15 building fires Justin departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 46 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 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 12 | 26.1% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 6 | 13.0% | |
| 3 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 4 | 8.7% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 3 | 6.5% | |
| 5 | Railroad right of way: on or near | 3 | 6.5% | |
| 6 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 7 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 8 | Other | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 9 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 10 | Storage: supplies or tools; dead storage | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 11 | 23.9% |
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 Justin mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 26 | 56.5% | |
| 2 | Lightning | 4 | 8.7% | |
| 3 | Heat source: other | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 5 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 7 | Chemical reaction | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 8 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 9 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 10 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 3 | 6.5% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Justin departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $15,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $5,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Justin sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 106,045 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 | 40.9 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 16,444 | 46.6 mi | |
| 1996 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 12,201 | 32.4 mi | |
| 2011 | Recreation and ceremony | 7,328 | 47.4 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5,600 | 49.6 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4,500 | 45.3 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,600 | 15.2 mi | |
| 2009 | Equipment and vehicle use | 2,190 | 39.9 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,153 | 29.1 mi | |
| 2005 | Equipment and vehicle use | 2,000 | 40.0 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 33.9 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 21.3 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 Justin. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Justin.
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.