In 2025, fire departments serving Albany responded to 92 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $1.0M 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 67% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
412 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $1.4M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 67 | — | |
| 2022 | 95 | +41.8% | |
| 2023 | 73 | -23.2% | |
| 2024 | 85 | +16.4% | |
| 2025 | 92 | +8.2% |
For the 25 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 30 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 | 10 | 33.3% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 4 | 13.3% | |
| 3 | Wildland, woods | 3 | 10.0% | |
| 4 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 2 | 6.7% | |
| 5 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 6.7% | |
| 6 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 2 | 6.7% | |
| 7 | Other | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 8 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 9 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 10 | Storage: supplies or tools; dead storage | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 3 | 10.0% |
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 | 13 | 43.3% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 5 | 16.7% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 5 | 16.7% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 7 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 8 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 9 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 10 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 1 | 3.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Albany departments in 2025. These 6 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $1,000,000 | Fires in structures other than in a building | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $144,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $50,000 | Outside equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $100 | Fire in motor home, camper, recreational vehicle | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Albany sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 4,591 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 355 | 31.8 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 310 | 45.7 mi | |
| 2005 | Equipment and vehicle use | 303 | 43.9 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 300 | 36.9 mi | |
| 2013 | Arson/incendiarism | 280 | 25.6 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 201 | 46.9 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 200 | 43.5 mi | |
| 2009 | Debris and open burning | 200 | 48.1 mi | |
| 2009 | Arson/incendiarism | 197 | 37.1 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 187 | 46.4 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 180 | 46.8 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 171 | 37.8 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 Ohio cities with population within ±25% of Albany. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
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.