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 Port Lavaca responded to 204 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $9K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Vehicle accident, general cleanup lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 63% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
360 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $377K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021* | 0 | — | |
| 2022* | 1 | — | |
| 2023* | 0 | — | |
| 2024 | 155 | — | |
| 2025 | 204 | +31.6% |
* Well below Port Lavaca's usual volume. That almost always means one or more departments didn't submit a full year to NFIRS, not that fires dropped, so no year-over-year change is shown for it.
For the 3 building fires Port Lavaca departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 36 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 | 5 | 13.9% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 5 | 13.9% | |
| 3 | Other | 3 | 8.3% | |
| 4 | Wall assembly | 3 | 8.3% | |
| 5 | Outside area, other | 3 | 8.3% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 5.6% | |
| 7 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 2 | 5.6% | |
| 8 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 2 | 5.6% | |
| 9 | Undetermined | 2 | 5.6% | |
| 10 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 2.8% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 8 | 22.2% |
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 Port Lavaca mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 13 | 36.1% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 8 | 22.2% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 4 | 11.1% | |
| 4 | Match | 3 | 8.3% | |
| 5 | Chemical reaction | 2 | 5.6% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 2.8% | |
| 7 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 2.8% | |
| 8 | Molten, hot material | 1 | 2.8% | |
| 9 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 2.8% | |
| 10 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 2.8% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 2.8% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Port Lavaca departments in 2025. These 5 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $8,500 | Grass fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $5,000 | Brush, or brush and grass mixture fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $3,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $1,000 | Special outside fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Port Lavaca sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 49,088 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5,847 | 30.1 mi | |
| 2001 | Debris and open burning | 3,980 | 30.1 mi | |
| 2009 | Debris and open burning | 3,500 | 27.3 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,500 | 26.3 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,000 | 38.0 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,000 | 13.3 mi | |
| 2009 | Natural | 2,548 | 24.6 mi | |
| 2013 | Debris and open burning | 2,500 | 48.1 mi | |
| 2001 | Natural | 2,344 | 23.1 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 22.3 mi | |
| 2001 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,990 | 31.1 mi | |
| 2019 | Natural | 1,568 | 39.6 mi |
Top 2 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 Port Lavaca. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
3 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Port Lavaca.
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.