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 Shallowater responded to 83 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $200K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Vehicle accident, general cleanup lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 63% of all calls.
Dec peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
471 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $1.5M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 113 | — | |
| 2022 | 138 | +22.1% | |
| 2023 | 73 | -47.1% | |
| 2024 | 64 | -12.3% | |
| 2025 | 83 | +29.7% |
For the 4 building fires Shallowater departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 115 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 | 33 | 28.7% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 33 | 28.7% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 14 | 12.2% | |
| 4 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 12 | 10.4% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 2.6% | |
| 6 | Wildland, woods | 3 | 2.6% | |
| 7 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 1.7% | |
| 8 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 1.7% | |
| 9 | Outside area, other | 2 | 1.7% | |
| 10 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 2 | 1.7% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 9 | 7.8% |
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 Shallowater mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 63 | 54.8% | |
| 2 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 10 | 8.7% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 9 | 7.8% | |
| 4 | Fireworks | 9 | 7.8% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 6 | 5.2% | |
| 6 | Arcing | 4 | 3.5% | |
| 7 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 1.7% | |
| 8 | Cigarette | 2 | 1.7% | |
| 9 | Cigarette lighter | 2 | 1.7% | |
| 10 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 2 | 1.7% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 6 | 5.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Shallowater departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 99% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $200,000 | Fire in motor home, camper, recreational vehicle | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $75,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $70,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $20,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $20,000 | Camper or recreational vehicle (RV) fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $14,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $2,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Shallowater sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 162,116 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 32,000 | 46.6 mi | |
| 2011 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 15,000 | 43.8 mi | |
| 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 15,000 | 45.0 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 9,600 | 49.8 mi | |
| 2017 | Equipment and vehicle use | 9,299 | 33.9 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 9,296 | 44.8 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 7,000 | 43.0 mi | |
| 2006 | Natural | 6,000 | 40.3 mi | |
| 2011 | Natural | 5,721 | 44.1 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5,000 | 48.7 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5,000 | 33.0 mi | |
| 2011 | Smoking | 5,000 | 40.1 mi |
Top 6 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 Shallowater. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Shallowater.
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.