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 University Park responded to 252 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $250K 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 85% of all calls.
Aug peaks. Jun dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
1,543 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $4.3M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 362 | — | |
| 2022 | 328 | -9.4% | |
| 2023 | 241 | -26.5% | |
| 2024 | 360 | +49.4% | |
| 2025 | 252 | -30.0% |
For the 5 building fires University Park departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 56 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 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 6 | 10.7% | |
| 2 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 5 | 8.9% | |
| 3 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 4 | 7.1% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 4 | 7.1% | |
| 5 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 4 | 7.1% | |
| 6 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 3 | 5.4% | |
| 7 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 3 | 5.4% | |
| 8 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 3 | 5.4% | |
| 9 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 5.4% | |
| 10 | Other | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 19 | 33.9% |
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 University Park mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 23 | 41.1% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 6 | 10.7% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 6 | 10.7% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 4 | 7.1% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 5.4% | |
| 6 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 7 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 8 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 9 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 10 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 6 | 10.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by University Park departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $250,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $12,000 | Special outside fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $10,000 | Fire in portable building, fixed location | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $1,000 | Cooking fire, confined to container | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $500 | Outside equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $100 | Dumpster or other outside trash receptacle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $100 | Brush, or brush and grass mixture fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $50 | Outside rubbish, trash or waste fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. University Park sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 28,311 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 | 24.4 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,600 | 47.2 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,153 | 45.2 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 46.9 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 29.0 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,500 | 45.9 mi | |
| 2006 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,280 | 36.1 mi | |
| 2005 | Smoking | 1,000 | 45.6 mi | |
| 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,000 | 49.6 mi | |
| 2005 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 960 | 40.2 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 900 | 47.1 mi | |
| 2006 | Equipment and vehicle use | 700 | 32.6 mi |
Top 5 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 University Park. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in University Park.
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.