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 Kingsville responded to 174 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 58% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Jun dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
1,029 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $655K cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 225 | — | |
| 2022 | 273 | +21.3% | |
| 2023 | 178 | -34.8% | |
| 2024 | 179 | +0.6% | |
| 2025 | 174 | -2.8% |
For the 13 building fires Kingsville departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 408 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 | 102 | 25.0% | |
| 2 | Cooking area, kitchen | 42 | 10.3% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 41 | 10.0% | |
| 4 | Undetermined | 37 | 9.1% | |
| 5 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 27 | 6.6% | |
| 6 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 24 | 5.9% | |
| 7 | Other | 16 | 3.9% | |
| 8 | Vehicle area, other | 16 | 3.9% | |
| 9 | Equipment or service area, other | 12 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 6 | 1.5% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 85 | 20.8% |
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 Kingsville mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 227 | 55.6% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 27 | 6.6% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 26 | 6.4% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 23 | 5.6% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 21 | 5.1% | |
| 6 | Cigarette lighter | 14 | 3.4% | |
| 7 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 13 | 3.2% | |
| 8 | Cigarette | 12 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Hot ember or ash | 10 | 2.5% | |
| 10 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 7 | 1.7% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 28 | 6.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Kingsville departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 84% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $36,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $25,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $25,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $20,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $15,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Kingsville sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 155,202 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 30,000 | 39.1 mi | |
| 2017 | Recreation and ceremony | 14,240 | 42.6 mi | |
| 2008 | Debris and open burning | 14,210 | 43.5 mi | |
| 2012 | Natural | 12,998 | 32.5 mi | |
| 2005 | Natural | 10,003 | 33.5 mi | |
| 2017 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 8,000 | 40.2 mi | |
| 2009 | Arson/incendiarism | 7,157 | 41.1 mi | |
| 2014 | Natural | 5,933 | 45.0 mi | |
| 2008 | Equipment and vehicle use | 4,934 | 34.9 mi | |
| 2011 | Debris and open burning | 4,800 | 18.1 mi | |
| 2018 | Natural | 4,517 | 36.0 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4,000 | 30.0 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 Kingsville. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
3 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Kingsville.
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.