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 La Joya responded to 50 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $5K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Unauthorized burning lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 58% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
340 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $386K cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 75 | — | |
| 2022 | 60 | -20.0% | |
| 2023 | 106 | +76.7% | |
| 2024 | 49 | -53.8% | |
| 2025 | 50 | +2.0% |
For the 1 building fires La Joya departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 83 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 | 36 | 43.4% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 18 | 21.7% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 8 | 9.6% | |
| 4 | Other | 4 | 4.8% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 4 | 4.8% | |
| 6 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 7 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 8 | Storage area, other | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 9 | Duct: hvac, cable, exhaust, heating, or AC | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 10 | Chimney (conversion only) | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 6 | 7.2% |
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 La Joya mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 49 | 59.0% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 4 | 4.8% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 4 | 4.8% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 4 | 4.8% | |
| 5 | Backfire from internal combustion engine | 4 | 4.8% | |
| 6 | Multiple heat sources including multiple ignitions | 4 | 4.8% | |
| 7 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 3.6% | |
| 8 | Fireworks | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 9 | Cigarette lighter | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 10 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 6 | 7.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by La Joya departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. La Joya sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 74,548 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 25,600 | 30.1 mi | |
| 2008 | Debris and open burning | 6,400 | 43.5 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,200 | 37.3 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,010 | 46.5 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,000 | 40.1 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 2,950 | 41.3 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,600 | 14.0 mi | |
| 2007 | Debris and open burning | 2,500 | 20.5 mi | |
| 2008 | Debris and open burning | 2,300 | 37.5 mi | |
| 2005 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,200 | 35.3 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 20.9 mi | |
| 2008 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,900 | 48.7 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 La Joya. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in La Joya.
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.