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 Royse City responded to 284 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $4.1M 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 55% of all calls.
Oct peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
1,481 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $8.7M cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 264 | — | |
| 2022 | 375 | +42.0% | |
| 2023 | 294 | -21.6% | |
| 2024 | 264 | -10.2% | |
| 2025 | 284 | +7.6% |
For the 38 building fires Royse City departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 465 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 | 178 | 38.3% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 57 | 12.3% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 47 | 10.1% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 46 | 9.9% | |
| 5 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 21 | 4.5% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 17 | 3.7% | |
| 7 | Other | 11 | 2.4% | |
| 8 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 11 | 2.4% | |
| 9 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 10 | 2.2% | |
| 10 | Vehicle area, other | 8 | 1.7% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 59 | 12.7% |
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 Royse City mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 320 | 68.8% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 15 | 3.2% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 13 | 2.8% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 12 | 2.6% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 12 | 2.6% | |
| 6 | Fireworks | 11 | 2.4% | |
| 7 | Cigarette lighter | 11 | 2.4% | |
| 8 | Arcing | 10 | 2.2% | |
| 9 | Lightning | 10 | 2.2% | |
| 10 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 8 | 1.7% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 43 | 9.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Royse City departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 98% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $4,100,000 | Outside equipment fire | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $800,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 3 | $300,000 | Gasoline or other flammable liquid spill | Major | Investigated |
| 4 | $200,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $150,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $150,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $50,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Royse City sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 17,962 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 | 35.1 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 43.7 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,200 | 38.3 mi | |
| 2005 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 960 | 28.0 mi | |
| 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 630 | 41.7 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 | 20.2 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 500 | 44.8 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 | 47.2 mi | |
| 2005 | Natural | 450 | 30.3 mi | |
| 2011 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 440 | 40.7 mi | |
| 2012 | Natural | 440 | 34.7 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 375 | 46.8 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 Royse City. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Royse City.
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.