In 2025, fire departments serving Altoona responded to 38 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $145K 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 69% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
213 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $869K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 28 | — | |
| 2022 | 32 | +14.3% | |
| 2023 | 49 | +53.1% | |
| 2024 | 66 | +34.7% | |
| 2025 | 38 | -42.4% |
For the 9 building fires Altoona departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 85 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 | 38 | 44.7% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 9 | 10.6% | |
| 3 | Other | 5 | 5.9% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 5 | 5.9% | |
| 5 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 4.7% | |
| 6 | Wildland, woods | 4 | 4.7% | |
| 7 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 3 | 3.5% | |
| 8 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 9 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 10 | Storage area, other | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 11 | 12.9% |
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 Altoona mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 57 | 67.1% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 5 | 5.9% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 4 | 4.7% | |
| 4 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 4 | 4.7% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 6 | Cigarette lighter | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 7 | Chemical, natural heat source, other | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 8 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 2 | 2.4% | |
| 9 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 10 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 5 | 5.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Altoona departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $145,000 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $45,000 | Fire in mobile home used as fixed residence | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $20,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $15,000 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $12,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $8,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $3,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $100 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Altoona sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 27,451 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Debris and open burning | 3,000 | 36.8 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,500 | 33.7 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,229 | 46.9 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 46.6 mi | |
| 2000 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,636 | 30.4 mi | |
| 1996 | Recreation and ceremony | 1,540 | 38.6 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,308 | 41.8 mi | |
| 2000 | Natural | 1,100 | 46.5 mi | |
| 1996 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,078 | 37.5 mi | |
| 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 919 | 47.5 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 890 | 35.1 mi | |
| 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | 867 | 42.7 mi |
Top 4 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Alabama cities with population within ±25% of Altoona. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
3 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Altoona.
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.