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 Prairie View responded to 36 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $24K 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 58% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Jun dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
232 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $190K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 49 | — | |
| 2022 | 56 | +14.3% | |
| 2023 | 48 | -14.3% | |
| 2024 | 43 | -10.4% | |
| 2025 | 36 | -16.3% |
For the 3 building fires Prairie View departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 90 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 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 22 | 24.4% | |
| 2 | Cooking area, kitchen | 17 | 18.9% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 12 | 13.3% | |
| 4 | Undetermined | 8 | 8.9% | |
| 5 | Outside area, other | 5 | 5.6% | |
| 6 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 5 | 5.6% | |
| 7 | Other | 3 | 3.3% | |
| 8 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 2.2% | |
| 9 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 2 | 2.2% | |
| 10 | Wall surface: exterior | 2 | 2.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 12 | 13.3% |
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 Prairie View mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 50 | 55.6% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 10 | 11.1% | |
| 3 | Heat, spark from friction | 6 | 6.7% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 4 | 4.4% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 3.3% | |
| 6 | Arcing | 3 | 3.3% | |
| 7 | Cigarette lighter | 2 | 2.2% | |
| 8 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 2 | 2.2% | |
| 9 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 2 | 2.2% | |
| 10 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 1.1% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 7 | 7.8% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Prairie View departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $24,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $3,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $2,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $200 | Cooking fire, confined to container | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Prairie View sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 50,097 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Natural | 19,960 | 16.4 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6,426 | 40.3 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5,280 | 15.9 mi | |
| 2011 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 3,085 | 34.7 mi | |
| 2009 | Fireworks | 1,804 | 39.1 mi | |
| 2013 | Debris and open burning | 1,757 | 22.8 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,622 | 30.7 mi | |
| 1996 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,200 | 38.9 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,035 | 46.3 mi | |
| 2011 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,008 | 46.3 mi | |
| 1998 | Equipment and vehicle use | 700 | 20.1 mi | |
| 2009 | Debris and open burning | 700 | 33.1 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 Prairie View. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Prairie View.
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.