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 The Colony responded to 117 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $465K 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 62% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Sep dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
719 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $8.3M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 160 | — | |
| 2022 | 114 | -28.7% | |
| 2023 | 160 | +40.4% | |
| 2024 | 168 | +5.0% | |
| 2025 | 117 | -30.4% |
For the 9 building fires The Colony departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 188 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 | 36 | 19.1% | |
| 2 | Cooking area, kitchen | 21 | 11.2% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 17 | 9.0% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 12 | 6.4% | |
| 5 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 10 | 5.3% | |
| 6 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 10 | 5.3% | |
| 7 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 9 | 4.8% | |
| 8 | Vehicle area, other | 8 | 4.3% | |
| 9 | Other | 6 | 3.2% | |
| 10 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 6 | 3.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 53 | 28.2% |
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 The Colony mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 85 | 45.2% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 24 | 12.8% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 15 | 8.0% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 15 | 8.0% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 11 | 5.9% | |
| 6 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 7 | 3.7% | |
| 7 | Lightning | 7 | 3.7% | |
| 8 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 6 | 3.2% | |
| 9 | Heat source: other | 3 | 1.6% | |
| 10 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 3 | 1.6% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 12 | 6.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by The Colony departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 97% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $465,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $283,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 3 | $75,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $75,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $55,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $40,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $10,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. The Colony sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 35,406 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 | 42.1 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5,600 | 45.8 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,600 | 38.7 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,153 | 45.9 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 49.4 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 31.2 mi | |
| 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,700 | 41.1 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,500 | 49.0 mi | |
| 2005 | Smoking | 1,000 | 46.5 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,000 | 34.6 mi | |
| 2005 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 960 | 31.3 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 900 | 40.7 mi |
Top 1 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
| # | ZIP | 5-yr incidents | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 75056 | 719 |
Six Texas cities with population within ±25% of The Colony. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in The Colony.
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.