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 Southlake responded to 160 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $1.0M 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 61% of all calls.
May peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
962 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $13.7M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 188 | — | |
| 2022 | 228 | +21.3% | |
| 2023 | 210 | -7.9% | |
| 2024 | 176 | -16.2% | |
| 2025 | 160 | -9.1% |
For the 19 building fires Southlake departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 179 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 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 30 | 16.8% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 29 | 16.2% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 21 | 11.7% | |
| 4 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 13 | 7.3% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 12 | 6.7% | |
| 6 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 12 | 6.7% | |
| 7 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 9 | 5.0% | |
| 8 | Vehicle area, other | 7 | 3.9% | |
| 9 | Other | 4 | 2.2% | |
| 10 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 4 | 2.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 38 | 21.2% |
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 Southlake mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 76 | 42.5% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 18 | 10.1% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 16 | 8.9% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 13 | 7.3% | |
| 5 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 10 | 5.6% | |
| 6 | Cigarette | 5 | 2.8% | |
| 7 | Lightning | 5 | 2.8% | |
| 8 | Heat source: other | 4 | 2.2% | |
| 9 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 4 | 2.2% | |
| 10 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 2.2% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 24 | 13.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Southlake departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 97% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,000,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $200,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $187,500 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $50,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $35,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $25,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Southlake sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 47,884 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 12,201 | 41.0 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6,000 | 42.8 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,600 | 25.3 mi | |
| 2009 | Equipment and vehicle use | 2,190 | 49.1 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,153 | 28.5 mi | |
| 2005 | Equipment and vehicle use | 2,000 | 37.4 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 32.0 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 14.4 mi | |
| 2011 | Debris and open burning | 1,900 | 38.3 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,500 | 31.8 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 1,300 | 49.3 mi | |
| 2006 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,280 | 48.7 mi |
Top 8 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 Southlake. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Southlake.
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.