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 Melissa responded to 164 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $650K 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 72% of all calls.
Feb peaks. Nov dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
730 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $4.0M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 127 | — | |
| 2022 | 140 | +10.2% | |
| 2023 | 140 | +0.0% | |
| 2024 | 159 | +13.6% | |
| 2025 | 164 | +3.1% |
For the 16 building fires Melissa departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 231 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 | 40 | 17.3% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 29 | 12.6% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 27 | 11.7% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 14 | 6.1% | |
| 5 | Undetermined | 14 | 6.1% | |
| 6 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 12 | 5.2% | |
| 7 | Other | 11 | 4.8% | |
| 8 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 10 | 4.3% | |
| 9 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 8 | 3.5% | |
| 10 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 6 | 2.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 60 | 26.0% |
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 Melissa mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 101 | 43.7% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 20 | 8.7% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 14 | 6.1% | |
| 4 | Lightning | 12 | 5.2% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 11 | 4.8% | |
| 6 | Arcing | 11 | 4.8% | |
| 7 | Cigarette lighter | 9 | 3.9% | |
| 8 | Heat source: other | 7 | 3.0% | |
| 9 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 6 | 2.6% | |
| 10 | Heat, spark from friction | 5 | 2.2% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 35 | 15.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Melissa departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 96% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $650,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $150,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $120,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $55,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $25,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $20,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Melissa sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 34,935 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Arson/incendiarism | 10,000 | 41.3 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5,600 | 40.0 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,000 | 48.8 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 34.1 mi | |
| 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,700 | 28.7 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,200 | 45.0 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,000 | 45.2 mi | |
| 2005 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,000 | 34.4 mi | |
| 2005 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 960 | 7.5 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 775 | 41.3 mi | |
| 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 630 | 18.5 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 600 | 49.9 mi |
Top 3 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 Melissa. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Melissa.
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.