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 Mineral Wells responded to 304 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $284K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Unauthorized burning lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 64% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
1,680 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $6.7M cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 361 | — | |
| 2022 | 414 | +14.7% | |
| 2023 | 341 | -17.6% | |
| 2024 | 260 | -23.8% | |
| 2025 | 304 | +16.9% |
For the 37 building fires Mineral Wells departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 381 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 | 131 | 34.4% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 47 | 12.3% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 23 | 6.0% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 20 | 5.2% | |
| 5 | Other | 16 | 4.2% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 15 | 3.9% | |
| 7 | Wall surface: exterior | 11 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 10 | 2.6% | |
| 9 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 10 | 2.6% | |
| 10 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 8 | 2.1% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 90 | 23.6% |
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 Mineral Wells mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 219 | 57.5% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 26 | 6.8% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 24 | 6.3% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 20 | 5.2% | |
| 5 | Heat source: other | 11 | 2.9% | |
| 6 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 11 | 2.9% | |
| 7 | Cigarette lighter | 10 | 2.6% | |
| 8 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 9 | 2.4% | |
| 9 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 7 | 1.8% | |
| 10 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 7 | 1.8% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 37 | 9.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Mineral Wells departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 68% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $284,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $200,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $180,000 | Aircraft fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $150,000 | Fire in mobile home used as fixed residence | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $85,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $80,000 | Fire in mobile home used as fixed residence | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $80,000 | Fire in motor home, camper, recreational vehicle | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $75,000 | Fire in motor home, camper, recreational vehicle | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Mineral Wells sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 271,983 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Natural | 126,734 | 23.4 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 27,876 | 32.6 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 16,444 | 29.8 mi | |
| 1996 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 12,201 | 18.3 mi | |
| 2011 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 7,555 | 21.8 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 7,500 | 30.2 mi | |
| 2011 | Recreation and ceremony | 7,328 | 39.9 mi | |
| 2011 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 6,555 | 21.1 mi | |
| 2008 | Debris and open burning | 6,000 | 27.0 mi | |
| 2006 | Equipment and vehicle use | 5,556 | 31.4 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5,000 | 35.2 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4,728 | 31.9 mi |
Top 8 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 Mineral Wells. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Mineral Wells.
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.