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 Yoakum responded to 85 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $85K 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 62% of all calls.
Feb peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
414 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $1.5M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 68 | — | |
| 2022 | 128 | +88.2% | |
| 2023 | 76 | -40.6% | |
| 2024 | 57 | -25.0% | |
| 2025 | 85 | +49.1% |
For the 8 building fires Yoakum departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 197 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 | 58 | 29.4% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 52 | 26.4% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 38 | 19.3% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 17 | 8.6% | |
| 5 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 8 | 4.1% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 5 | 2.5% | |
| 7 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 1.5% | |
| 8 | Function area, other | 2 | 1.0% | |
| 9 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 2 | 1.0% | |
| 10 | Fuel tank, fuel line | 2 | 1.0% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 10 | 5.1% |
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 Yoakum mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 95 | 48.2% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 19 | 9.6% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 13 | 6.6% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 13 | 6.6% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 11 | 5.6% | |
| 6 | Lightning | 7 | 3.6% | |
| 7 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 6 | 3.0% | |
| 8 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 5 | 2.5% | |
| 9 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 5 | 2.5% | |
| 10 | Match | 4 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 19 | 9.6% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Yoakum departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 84% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $85,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $84,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $65,000 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $50,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $40,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $25,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $25,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Yoakum sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 29,574 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6,030 | 39.4 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,500 | 31.2 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,000 | 35.1 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 35.3 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 41.5 mi | |
| 2009 | Fireworks | 1,804 | 49.3 mi | |
| 2017 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,143 | 28.4 mi | |
| 2009 | Recreation and ceremony | 1,000 | 30.2 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 800 | 43.0 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 800 | 20.9 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 700 | 34.1 mi | |
| 2008 | Debris and open burning | 700 | 46.8 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 Yoakum. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Yoakum.
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.