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 Mexia responded to 127 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 66% of all calls.
Jul peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
570 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 94 | — | |
| 2022 | 135 | +43.6% | |
| 2023 | 99 | -26.7% | |
| 2024 | 115 | +16.2% | |
| 2025 | 127 | +10.4% |
For the 24 building fires Mexia departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 279 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 | 116 | 41.6% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 50 | 17.9% | |
| 3 | Cooking area, kitchen | 15 | 5.4% | |
| 4 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 14 | 5.0% | |
| 5 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 12 | 4.3% | |
| 6 | Vehicle area, other | 9 | 3.2% | |
| 7 | Wildland, woods | 9 | 3.2% | |
| 8 | Other | 8 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Railroad right of way: on or near | 7 | 2.5% | |
| 10 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 5 | 1.8% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 34 | 12.2% |
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 Mexia mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 209 | 74.9% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 15 | 5.4% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 9 | 3.2% | |
| 4 | Hot ember or ash | 9 | 3.2% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 7 | 2.5% | |
| 6 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 4 | 1.4% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 4 | 1.4% | |
| 8 | Fireworks | 4 | 1.4% | |
| 9 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 1.1% | |
| 10 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 3 | 1.1% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 12 | 4.3% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Mexia sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 24,278 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 | 4,689 | 36.0 mi | |
| 2011 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 3,000 | 16.3 mi | |
| 2011 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 2,350 | 22.7 mi | |
| 2011 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1,400 | 48.2 mi | |
| 2006 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,280 | 47.7 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,100 | 44.6 mi | |
| 2019 | Debris and open burning | 1,100 | 45.0 mi | |
| 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,000 | 46.6 mi | |
| 2017 | Debris and open burning | 1,000 | 38.8 mi | |
| 1996 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 900 | 27.3 mi | |
| 1996 | Arson/incendiarism | 600 | 43.7 mi | |
| 2000 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 600 | 45.6 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 Mexia. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Mexia.
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.