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 Needville responded to 115 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $250K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Grass fire lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 61% of all calls.
Oct peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
731 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $1.9M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 109 | — | |
| 2022 | 219 | +100.9% | |
| 2023 | 141 | -35.6% | |
| 2024 | 147 | +4.3% | |
| 2025 | 115 | -21.8% |
For the 18 building fires Needville departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 285 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 | 79 | 27.7% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 65 | 22.8% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 53 | 18.6% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 18 | 6.3% | |
| 5 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 13 | 4.6% | |
| 6 | Other | 8 | 2.8% | |
| 7 | Vehicle area, other | 6 | 2.1% | |
| 8 | Wildland, woods | 6 | 2.1% | |
| 9 | Structural area, other | 5 | 1.8% | |
| 10 | Storage area, other | 4 | 1.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 28 | 9.8% |
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 Needville mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 138 | 48.4% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 15 | 5.3% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 15 | 5.3% | |
| 4 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 14 | 4.9% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 12 | 4.2% | |
| 6 | Cigarette lighter | 12 | 4.2% | |
| 7 | Match | 11 | 3.9% | |
| 8 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 8 | 2.8% | |
| 9 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 7 | 2.5% | |
| 10 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 7 | 2.5% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 46 | 16.1% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Needville departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 97% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $250,000 | Fires in structures other than in a building | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $35,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $15,000 | Grass fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $10,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $5,000 | Grass fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Needville sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 52,509 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 | 6,426 | 8.8 mi | |
| 2002 | Natural | 4,028 | 41.1 mi | |
| 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,888 | 42.3 mi | |
| 2017 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,741 | 44.2 mi | |
| 2011 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 3,085 | 45.8 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,982 | 38.0 mi | |
| 2008 | Natural | 2,682 | 42.6 mi | |
| 1997 | Natural | 2,550 | 40.9 mi | |
| 2013 | Debris and open burning | 2,500 | 27.0 mi | |
| 1993 | Natural | 2,200 | 42.6 mi | |
| 2009 | Fireworks | 1,804 | 45.7 mi | |
| 2008 | Natural | 1,765 | 42.2 mi |
Top 9 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 Needville. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Needville.
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.