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 Windcrest responded to 62 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $215K 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 52% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Jul dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
223 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $1.2M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 31 | — | |
| 2022 | 43 | +38.7% | |
| 2023 | 41 | -4.7% | |
| 2024 | 46 | +12.2% | |
| 2025 | 62 | +34.8% |
For the 7 building fires Windcrest departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 72 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 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 13 | 18.1% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 12 | 16.7% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 9 | 12.5% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 8 | 11.1% | |
| 5 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 7 | 9.7% | |
| 6 | Other | 4 | 5.6% | |
| 7 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 4 | 5.6% | |
| 8 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 9 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 10 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 6 | 8.3% |
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 Windcrest mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 28 | 38.9% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 8 | 11.1% | |
| 3 | Heat source: other | 6 | 8.3% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 7 | Cigarette | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 8 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 2.8% | |
| 9 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 2.8% | |
| 10 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 2.8% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 12 | 16.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Windcrest departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $215,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $15,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $4,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $2,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $2,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $1,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $1,000 | Cooking fire, confined to container | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $750 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Windcrest sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 22,692 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 34.6 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,500 | 17.0 mi | |
| 2001 | Debris and open burning | 1,175 | 36.8 mi | |
| 2011 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 1,120 | 25.0 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,085 | 40.4 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,000 | 17.1 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,000 | 26.9 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,000 | 42.4 mi | |
| 2004 | Debris and open burning | 1,000 | 48.5 mi | |
| 2006 | Equipment and vehicle use | 973 | 30.5 mi | |
| 2006 | Debris and open burning | 956 | 49.4 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 900 | 44.1 mi |
Top 2 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 Windcrest. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Windcrest.
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.