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 Marble Falls responded to 148 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $300K 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 59% of all calls.
Feb peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
1,023 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $847K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 185 | — | |
| 2022 | 255 | +37.8% | |
| 2023 | 231 | -9.4% | |
| 2024 | 204 | -11.7% | |
| 2025 | 148 | -27.5% |
For the 21 building fires Marble Falls departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 292 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 | 68 | 23.3% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 59 | 20.2% | |
| 3 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 28 | 9.6% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 24 | 8.2% | |
| 5 | Outside area, other | 24 | 8.2% | |
| 6 | Wildland, woods | 15 | 5.1% | |
| 7 | Cooking area, kitchen | 14 | 4.8% | |
| 8 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 5 | 1.7% | |
| 9 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 5 | 1.7% | |
| 10 | Vehicle area, other | 5 | 1.7% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 45 | 15.4% |
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 Marble Falls mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 148 | 50.7% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 29 | 9.9% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 14 | 4.8% | |
| 4 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 14 | 4.8% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 12 | 4.1% | |
| 6 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 12 | 4.1% | |
| 7 | Match | 10 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 8 | 2.7% | |
| 9 | Cigarette | 7 | 2.4% | |
| 10 | Heat, spark from friction | 6 | 2.1% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 32 | 11.0% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Marble Falls departments in 2025. These 5 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $300,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $300,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 3 | $80,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $1,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Marble Falls sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 51,980 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 10,468 | 46.4 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6,500 | 16.8 mi | |
| 1999 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6,213 | 48.5 mi | |
| 2008 | Debris and open burning | 2,106 | 30.9 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 28.6 mi | |
| 2009 | Equipment and vehicle use | 2,000 | 30.2 mi | |
| 2000 | Natural | 1,792 | 30.7 mi | |
| 2006 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,700 | 35.8 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,500 | 13.4 mi | |
| 2008 | Debris and open burning | 1,480 | 23.5 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,452 | 34.5 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,400 | 23.7 mi |
Top 6 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 Marble Falls. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Marble Falls.
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.