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 Van responded to 12 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $400K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Grass fire lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 100% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
57 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $400K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 8 | — | |
| 2022 | 14 | +75.0% | |
| 2023 | 12 | -14.3% | |
| 2024 | 11 | -8.3% | |
| 2025 | 12 | +9.1% |
For the 3 building fires Van departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 3 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 | Equipment or service area, other | 1 | 33.3% | |
| 2 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 1 | 33.3% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 1 | 33.3% |
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 Van mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 3 | 100.0% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Van departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $400,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Van sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 24,512 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 | 3,700 | 45.2 mi | |
| 2011 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 3,341 | 43.9 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,324 | 49.3 mi | |
| 2011 | Natural | 2,314 | 38.2 mi | |
| 2011 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1,672 | 49.0 mi | |
| 2011 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1,556 | 39.1 mi | |
| 2017 | Debris and open burning | 1,000 | 45.0 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 1,000 | 22.0 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 607 | 42.1 mi | |
| 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 538 | 35.5 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 511 | 50.0 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 | 49.5 mi |
Top 7 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 Van. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Van.
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.