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 Newark responded to 82 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $50K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 67% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
529 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $1.7M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 100 | — | |
| 2022 | 129 | +29.0% | |
| 2023 | 136 | +5.4% | |
| 2024 | 82 | -39.7% | |
| 2025 | 82 | +0.0% |
For the 22 building fires Newark departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 103 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 | 30 | 29.1% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 14 | 13.6% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 13 | 12.6% | |
| 4 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 6 | 5.8% | |
| 5 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 5 | 4.9% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 4 | 3.9% | |
| 7 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 3 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Other | 2 | 1.9% | |
| 9 | Processing/manufacturing area, workroom | 2 | 1.9% | |
| 10 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 1.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 22 | 21.4% |
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 Newark mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 68 | 66.0% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 8 | 7.8% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 5 | 4.9% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 2.9% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 2.9% | |
| 6 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 3 | 2.9% | |
| 7 | Heat source: other | 2 | 1.9% | |
| 8 | Fireworks | 2 | 1.9% | |
| 9 | Cigarette | 2 | 1.9% | |
| 10 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 1.0% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 6 | 5.8% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Newark departments in 2025. These 3 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $40,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $10,000 | Grass fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Newark sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 123,098 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 31,419 | 44.6 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 16,444 | 38.7 mi | |
| 1996 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 12,201 | 21.4 mi | |
| 2011 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 7,555 | 44.3 mi | |
| 2011 | Recreation and ceremony | 7,328 | 41.8 mi | |
| 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 4,900 | 48.9 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4,500 | 35.1 mi | |
| 2020 | Equipment and vehicle use | 2,654 | 46.1 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,600 | 48.3 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,600 | 46.6 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,600 | 6.4 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,500 | 42.5 mi |
Top 4 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 Newark. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Newark.
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.