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 McQueeney responded to 10 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Unauthorized burning lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 60% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
72 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $56K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 19 | — | |
| 2022 | 25 | +31.6% | |
| 2023 | 9 | -64.0% | |
| 2024 | 9 | +0.0% | |
| 2025 | 10 | +11.1% |
For the 0 building fires McQueeney departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 44 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 | 14 | 31.8% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 7 | 15.9% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 7 | 15.9% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 9.1% | |
| 5 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 2 | 4.5% | |
| 6 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 2 | 4.5% | |
| 7 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 8 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 9 | Storage room, area, tank, or bin | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 10 | Closet | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 4 | 9.1% |
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 McQueeney mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 13 | 29.5% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 10 | 22.7% | |
| 3 | Heat source: other | 4 | 9.1% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 6.8% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 6.8% | |
| 6 | Match | 3 | 6.8% | |
| 7 | Molten, hot material | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 8 | Munitions | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 9 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 10 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 4 | 9.1% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. McQueeney sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 26,254 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 | 6,030 | 41.8 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 17.5 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,500 | 7.8 mi | |
| 2001 | Debris and open burning | 1,175 | 23.4 mi | |
| 2011 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1,120 | 46.2 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,000 | 7.4 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,000 | 37.6 mi | |
| 2004 | Debris and open burning | 1,000 | 46.8 mi | |
| 2006 | Equipment and vehicle use | 973 | 18.4 mi | |
| 2006 | Debris and open burning | 956 | 37.5 mi | |
| 2008 | Equipment and vehicle use | 866 | 18.5 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 800 | 48.2 mi |
Top 1 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
| # | ZIP | 5-yr incidents | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 78123 | 72 |
Six Texas cities with population within ±25% of McQueeney. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in McQueeney.
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.