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 Rio Vista responded to 34 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 59% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
201 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $103K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 32 | — | |
| 2022 | 64 | +100.0% | |
| 2023 | 43 | -32.8% | |
| 2024 | 28 | -34.9% | |
| 2025 | 34 | +21.4% |
For the 6 building fires Rio Vista departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 101 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 | 28 | 27.7% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 24 | 23.8% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 19 | 18.8% | |
| 4 | Other | 10 | 9.9% | |
| 5 | Structural area, other | 3 | 3.0% | |
| 6 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 2 | 2.0% | |
| 7 | Wall assembly | 2 | 2.0% | |
| 8 | Assembly area - less than 100 persons | 1 | 1.0% | |
| 9 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 1.0% | |
| 10 | Function area, other | 1 | 1.0% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 10 | 9.9% |
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 Rio Vista mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 64 | 63.4% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 11 | 10.9% | |
| 3 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 5 | 5.0% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 4 | 4.0% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 3.0% | |
| 6 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 2.0% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 2.0% | |
| 8 | Fireworks | 2 | 2.0% | |
| 9 | Match | 2 | 2.0% | |
| 10 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 2 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 4 | 4.0% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Rio Vista 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 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $2,500 | Outside equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Rio Vista sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 43,521 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Debris and open burning | 6,000 | 45.4 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6,000 | 49.0 mi | |
| 2011 | Debris and open burning | 4,044 | 22.9 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,153 | 35.5 mi | |
| 2005 | Equipment and vehicle use | 2,000 | 26.1 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 30.6 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 38.0 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,865 | 46.1 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,500 | 21.8 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,500 | 16.7 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,500 | 29.0 mi | |
| 2006 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,280 | 36.2 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 | 76093 | 201 |
Six Texas cities with population within ±25% of Rio Vista. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Rio Vista.
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.