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 Robstown responded to 225 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $50K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Grass fire lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 60% of all calls.
Nov peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
927 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $1.6M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 148 | — | |
| 2022 | 230 | +55.4% | |
| 2023 | 169 | -26.5% | |
| 2024 | 155 | -8.3% | |
| 2025 | 225 | +45.2% |
For the 19 building fires Robstown departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 364 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 | 119 | 32.7% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 55 | 15.1% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 53 | 14.6% | |
| 4 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 25 | 6.9% | |
| 5 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 22 | 6.0% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 12 | 3.3% | |
| 7 | Other | 11 | 3.0% | |
| 8 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 9 | 2.5% | |
| 9 | Vehicle area, other | 7 | 1.9% | |
| 10 | Storage area, other | 5 | 1.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 46 | 12.6% |
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 Robstown mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 230 | 63.2% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 19 | 5.2% | |
| 3 | Cigarette lighter | 16 | 4.4% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 13 | 3.6% | |
| 5 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 13 | 3.6% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 11 | 3.0% | |
| 7 | Match | 10 | 2.7% | |
| 8 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 6 | 1.6% | |
| 9 | Hot ember or ash | 6 | 1.6% | |
| 10 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 5 | 1.4% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 35 | 9.6% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Robstown departments in 2025. These 7 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $50,000 | Fires in structures other than in a building | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $5,000 | Outside rubbish, trash or waste fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $2,000 | Outside equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $500 | Electrical wiring/equipment problem, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Robstown sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 70,002 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Natural | 12,998 | 35.2 mi | |
| 2005 | Natural | 10,003 | 35.6 mi | |
| 2008 | Equipment and vehicle use | 4,934 | 31.3 mi | |
| 2011 | Debris and open burning | 4,800 | 40.6 mi | |
| 2018 | Natural | 4,517 | 43.5 mi | |
| 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,200 | 22.7 mi | |
| 2011 | Debris and open burning | 3,000 | 49.9 mi | |
| 2008 | Debris and open burning | 3,000 | 20.9 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 3,000 | 49.0 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 27.7 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 19.3 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 18.3 mi |
Top 10 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 Robstown. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
3 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Robstown.
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.