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 Payne Springs responded to 17 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 100% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Sep dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
101 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 17 | — | |
| 2022 | 29 | +70.6% | |
| 2023 | 24 | -17.2% | |
| 2024 | 14 | -41.7% | |
| 2025 | 17 | +21.4% |
For the 16 building fires Payne Springs departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 1 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 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 1 | 100.0% |
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 Payne Springs mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 100.0% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Payne Springs sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 25,388 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6,000 | 34.9 mi | |
| 2011 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 3,700 | 39.7 mi | |
| 2011 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 2,350 | 25.4 mi | |
| 2011 | Natural | 2,314 | 42.7 mi | |
| 2006 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,280 | 39.5 mi | |
| 2017 | Debris and open burning | 1,000 | 14.3 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 1,000 | 42.0 mi | |
| 2006 | Equipment and vehicle use | 700 | 49.0 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 607 | 37.3 mi | |
| 1996 | Debris and open burning | 600 | 42.5 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 | 36.2 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 500 | 41.0 mi |
Top 1 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
| # | ZIP | 5-yr incidents | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 75156 | 101 |
Six Texas cities with population within ±25% of Payne Springs. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Payne Springs.
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.