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 Lucas responded to 77 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $1.0M building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Authorized controlled burning lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 61% of all calls.
Sep peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
444 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $9.0M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 84 | — | |
| 2022 | 120 | +42.9% | |
| 2023 | 90 | -25.0% | |
| 2024 | 73 | -18.9% | |
| 2025 | 77 | +5.5% |
For the 9 building fires Lucas departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 64 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 | 10 | 15.6% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 10 | 15.6% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 7 | 10.9% | |
| 4 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 4 | 6.2% | |
| 5 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 4 | 6.2% | |
| 6 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 4.7% | |
| 7 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 3 | 4.7% | |
| 8 | Roof surface: exterior | 3 | 4.7% | |
| 9 | Fuel tank, fuel line | 3 | 4.7% | |
| 10 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 3.1% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 15 | 23.4% |
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 Lucas mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 31 | 48.4% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 7 | 10.9% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 6 | 9.4% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 4 | 6.2% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 6.2% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 4.7% | |
| 7 | Lightning | 3 | 4.7% | |
| 8 | Molten, hot material | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 9 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 10 | Cigarette | 1 | 1.6% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 3 | 4.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Lucas departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,000,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $800,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 3 | $400,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 4 | $150,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $55,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $10,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $6,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $5,000 | Chimney or flue fire, confined to chimney or flue | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Lucas sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 23,593 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6,000 | 38.9 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 46.3 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 44.1 mi | |
| 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,700 | 41.2 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,200 | 48.5 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,000 | 49.1 mi | |
| 2005 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,000 | 47.3 mi | |
| 2005 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 960 | 19.8 mi | |
| 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 630 | 25.1 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 600 | 48.7 mi | |
| 2011 | Debris and open burning | 550 | 47.3 mi | |
| 2018 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 508 | 46.3 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 Lucas. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Lucas.
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.