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 Shady Shores responded to 28 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $5K 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 64% of all calls.
Oct peaks. Nov dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
190 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $34K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 48 | — | |
| 2022 | 43 | -10.4% | |
| 2023 | 40 | -7.0% | |
| 2024 | 31 | -22.5% | |
| 2025 | 28 | -9.7% |
For the 2 building fires Shady Shores departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 13 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 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 23.1% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 23.1% | |
| 3 | Other | 2 | 15.4% | |
| 4 | Storage: supplies or tools; dead storage | 1 | 7.7% | |
| 5 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 1 | 7.7% | |
| 6 | Roof surface: exterior | 1 | 7.7% | |
| 7 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 1 | 7.7% | |
| 8 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 1 | 7.7% |
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 Shady Shores mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 23.1% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 15.4% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 15.4% | |
| 4 | Undetermined | 2 | 15.4% | |
| 5 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 7.7% | |
| 6 | Match | 1 | 7.7% | |
| 7 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 7.7% | |
| 8 | Lightning | 1 | 7.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Shady Shores departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $5,000 | Brush, or brush and grass mixture fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $2,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Shady Shores sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 75,998 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 31,419 | 43.8 mi | |
| 1996 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 12,201 | 48.4 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5,600 | 40.8 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,600 | 31.1 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,153 | 42.6 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 46.8 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 30.1 mi | |
| 2011 | Debris and open burning | 1,900 | 41.6 mi | |
| 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,700 | 39.2 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,500 | 46.8 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 1,300 | 42.8 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,100 | 49.9 mi |
Top 3 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 Shady Shores. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
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.