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 Westlake responded to 31 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $1.3M building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 61% of all calls.
Feb peaks. Aug dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
232 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $9.5M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 44 | — | |
| 2022 | 58 | +31.8% | |
| 2023 | 47 | -19.0% | |
| 2024 | 52 | +10.6% | |
| 2025 | 31 | -40.4% |
For the 5 building fires Westlake departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 51 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 | 8 | 15.7% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 7 | 13.7% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 6 | 11.8% | |
| 4 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 4 | 7.8% | |
| 5 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 3 | 5.9% | |
| 6 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 5.9% | |
| 7 | Equipment or service area, other | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 8 | Wall assembly | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 9 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 10 | Construction/renovation area | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 12 | 23.5% |
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 Westlake mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 24 | 47.1% | |
| 2 | Lightning | 4 | 7.8% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 5.9% | |
| 4 | Chemical reaction | 3 | 5.9% | |
| 5 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 7 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 8 | Cigarette | 2 | 3.9% | |
| 9 | Heat source: other | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 10 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 7 | 13.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Westlake departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,300,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Westlake sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
6 fire-related casualties recorded in NFIRS Module 11 across the 2021–2025 window. Age, gender, and severity are coarse-binned — no individual identification possible.
| Age | Count | |
|---|---|---|
| 0-9 | 0 | |
| 10-19 | 0 | |
| 20-29 | 1 | |
| 30-39 | 2 | |
| 40-49 | 3 | |
| 50-59 | 0 | |
| 60-69 | 0 | |
| 70-79 | 0 | |
| 80+ | 0 |
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 78,163 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 31,419 | 49.8 mi | |
| 1996 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 12,201 | 37.8 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6,000 | 46.3 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,600 | 21.8 mi | |
| 2009 | Equipment and vehicle use | 2,190 | 45.8 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,153 | 27.1 mi | |
| 2005 | Equipment and vehicle use | 2,000 | 36.7 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 31.0 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 14.7 mi | |
| 2011 | Debris and open burning | 1,900 | 34.7 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,500 | 31.1 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 1,300 | 46.1 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 Westlake. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Westlake.
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.