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 Willow Park responded to 60 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $2K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Unauthorized burning lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 50% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Jul dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
271 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $2K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 50 | — | |
| 2022 | 59 | +18.0% | |
| 2023 | 46 | -22.0% | |
| 2024 | 56 | +21.7% | |
| 2025 | 60 | +7.1% |
For the 4 building fires Willow Park departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 69 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 | 30 | 43.5% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 8 | 11.6% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 7 | 10.1% | |
| 4 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 4 | 5.8% | |
| 5 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 4 | 5.8% | |
| 6 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 4 | 5.8% | |
| 7 | Other | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Wildland, woods | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 4 | 5.8% |
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 Willow Park mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 50 | 72.5% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 5.8% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 3 | 4.3% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 4.3% | |
| 5 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 2.9% | |
| 6 | Heat source: other | 1 | 1.4% | |
| 7 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 1.4% | |
| 8 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 1.4% | |
| 9 | Molten, hot material | 1 | 1.4% | |
| 10 | Fireworks | 1 | 1.4% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 2 | 2.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Willow Park departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Willow Park sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 232,770 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Natural | 126,734 | 48.5 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 16,444 | 42.5 mi | |
| 1996 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 12,201 | 21.0 mi | |
| 2011 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 7,555 | 41.9 mi | |
| 2011 | Recreation and ceremony | 7,328 | 49.5 mi | |
| 2011 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 6,555 | 45.8 mi | |
| 2008 | Debris and open burning | 6,000 | 35.4 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 5,000 | 47.5 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 4,500 | 33.5 mi | |
| 2018 | Natural | 4,483 | 41.0 mi | |
| 2011 | Debris and open burning | 4,044 | 46.5 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,200 | 35.1 mi |
Top 3 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 Willow Park. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Willow 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.