In 2025, fire departments serving Albany responded to 27 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 74% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Aug dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
167 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $82K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 37 | — | |
| 2022 | 36 | -2.7% | |
| 2023 | 25 | -30.6% | |
| 2024 | 42 | +68.0% | |
| 2025 | 27 | -35.7% |
For the 6 building fires Albany departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 44 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 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 9 | 20.5% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 9 | 20.5% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 5 | 11.4% | |
| 4 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 3 | 6.8% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 6.8% | |
| 6 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 3 | 6.8% | |
| 7 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 6.8% | |
| 8 | Other | 2 | 4.5% | |
| 9 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 4.5% | |
| 10 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 4 | 9.1% |
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 Albany mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 16 | 36.4% | |
| 2 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 4 | 9.1% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 9.1% | |
| 4 | Cigarette lighter | 4 | 9.1% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 3 | 6.8% | |
| 6 | Heat source: other | 2 | 4.5% | |
| 7 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 2 | 4.5% | |
| 8 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 9 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 10 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 6 | 13.6% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Albany sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 2 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 30 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Recreation and ceremony | 20 | 24.1 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 10 | 31.2 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 Indiana cities with population within ±25% of Albany. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Albany.
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.