In 2025, fire departments serving Arlington responded to 22 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $120K 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 73% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
125 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $574K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 25 | — | |
| 2022 | 27 | +8.0% | |
| 2023 | 24 | -11.1% | |
| 2024 | 27 | +12.5% | |
| 2025 | 22 | -18.5% |
For the 10 building fires Arlington 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 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 10 | 33.3% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 5 | 16.7% | |
| 3 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 6.7% | |
| 4 | Wall surface: exterior | 2 | 6.7% | |
| 5 | Wildland, woods | 2 | 6.7% | |
| 6 | Undetermined | 2 | 6.7% | |
| 7 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 8 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 9 | Storage: supplies or tools; dead storage | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 10 | Equipment or service area, other | 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 Arlington mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 8 | 26.7% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 4 | 13.3% | |
| 3 | Cigarette lighter | 3 | 10.0% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 6.7% | |
| 5 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 6.7% | |
| 6 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 6.7% | |
| 7 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 8 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 9 | Match | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 10 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 5 | 16.7% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Arlington departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $120,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $500 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Arlington sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 6 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 431 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 332 | 26.3 mi | |
| 2019 | Debris and open burning | 58 | 33.8 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 11 | 47.9 mi | |
| 2019 | Debris and open burning | 10 | 32.1 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 10 | 45.5 mi | |
| 2016 | Debris and open burning | 10 | 49.1 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 Arlington. 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.