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 Mont Belvieu responded to 66 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $250K 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 67% of all calls.
Oct peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
351 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $1.0M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 51 | — | |
| 2022 | 72 | +41.2% | |
| 2023 | 81 | +12.5% | |
| 2024 | 81 | +0.0% | |
| 2025 | 66 | -18.5% |
For the 0 building fires Mont Belvieu departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 91 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 | 27 | 29.7% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 16 | 17.6% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 14 | 15.4% | |
| 4 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 5 | 5.5% | |
| 5 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 4 | 4.4% | |
| 6 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 3.3% | |
| 7 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 3.3% | |
| 8 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 2.2% | |
| 9 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 2 | 2.2% | |
| 10 | Fuel tank, fuel line | 2 | 2.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 13 | 14.3% |
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 Mont Belvieu mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 16 | 17.6% | |
| 2 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 11 | 12.1% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 10 | 11.0% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 8 | 8.8% | |
| 5 | Multiple heat sources including multiple ignitions | 8 | 8.8% | |
| 6 | Heat, spark from friction | 7 | 7.7% | |
| 7 | Hot ember or ash | 6 | 6.6% | |
| 8 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 4 | 4.4% | |
| 9 | Match | 4 | 4.4% | |
| 10 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 4 | 4.4% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 13 | 14.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Mont Belvieu departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $250,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $100,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $20,000 | Outside equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $10,000 | Self-propelled motor home or recreational vehicle | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $10,000 | Outside equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $10,000 | Outside equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $2,500 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Mont Belvieu sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 160,147 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 14,169 | 41.1 mi | |
| 1994 | Arson/incendiarism | 13,400 | 42.4 mi | |
| 2000 | Natural | 13,000 | 40.8 mi | |
| 1994 | Arson/incendiarism | 9,912 | 46.4 mi | |
| 1992 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 9,000 | 45.2 mi | |
| 2015 | Natural | 8,358 | 43.3 mi | |
| 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 7,972 | 43.2 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5,976 | 35.6 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5,668 | 39.5 mi | |
| 1996 | Arson/incendiarism | 5,388 | 44.3 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5,260 | 38.5 mi | |
| 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5,150 | 41.8 mi |
Top 7 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 Mont Belvieu. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Mont Belvieu.
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.