In 2025, fire departments serving Albion responded to 50 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $20K 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 74% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Sep dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
273 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $406K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 44 | — | |
| 2022 | 43 | -2.3% | |
| 2023 | 69 | +60.5% | |
| 2024 | 67 | -2.9% | |
| 2025 | 50 | -25.4% |
For the 7 building fires Albion departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 41 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 | 24.4% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 6 | 14.6% | |
| 3 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 4 | 9.8% | |
| 4 | Wall surface: exterior | 4 | 9.8% | |
| 5 | Equipment or service area, other | 2 | 4.9% | |
| 6 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 4.9% | |
| 7 | Outside area, other | 2 | 4.9% | |
| 8 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 9 | Technical processing areas, other | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 10 | Chute; laundry or mail, excluding trash chutes | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 8 | 19.5% |
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 Albion mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 19 | 46.3% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 7 | 17.1% | |
| 3 | Heat source: other | 4 | 9.8% | |
| 4 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 4.9% | |
| 5 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 2 | 4.9% | |
| 6 | Chemical reaction | 2 | 4.9% | |
| 7 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 8 | Arcing | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 9 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 10 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 2.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Albion departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Albion sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 11 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 370 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 154 | 35.8 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 33.9 mi | |
| 2002 | Recreation and ceremony | 35 | 21.3 mi | |
| 2019 | Equipment and vehicle use | 25 | 41.3 mi | |
| 2019 | Natural | 22 | 45.3 mi | |
| 2004 | Debris and open burning | 20 | 21.2 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 15 | 48.9 mi | |
| 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | 15 | 32.1 mi | |
| 2017 | Arson/incendiarism | 12 | 32.3 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 12 | 48.4 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 10 | 47.1 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 Indiana cities with population within ±25% of Albion. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Albion.
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.