In 2025, fire departments serving Attapulgus responded to 42 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Brush, or brush and grass mixture fire lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 81% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Jun dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
175 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 35 | — | |
| 2022 | 29 | -17.1% | |
| 2023 | 25 | -13.8% | |
| 2024 | 44 | +76.0% | |
| 2025 | 42 | -4.5% |
For the 5 building fires Attapulgus departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 48 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 | 17 | 35.4% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 10 | 20.8% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 7 | 14.6% | |
| 4 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 3 | 6.2% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 6.2% | |
| 6 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 7 | Storage area, other | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 8 | Storage room, area, tank, or bin | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 9 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 10 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 3 | 6.2% |
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 Attapulgus mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 29 | 60.4% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 6 | 12.5% | |
| 3 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 3 | 6.2% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 4.2% | |
| 5 | Radiated heat from another fire | 2 | 4.2% | |
| 6 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 2 | 4.2% | |
| 7 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 8 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 9 | Chemical reaction | 1 | 2.1% | |
| 10 | Conducted heat from another fire | 1 | 2.1% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Attapulgus sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 108,383 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Arson/incendiarism | 26,279 | 43.1 mi | |
| 1998 | Arson/incendiarism | 24,602 | 40.4 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 10,458 | 46.6 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 7,498 | 43.3 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 6,679 | 47.3 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 6,675 | 33.5 mi | |
| 2005 | Arson/incendiarism | 4,384 | 47.3 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 2,624 | 40.2 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,614 | 45.0 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,367 | 49.3 mi | |
| 2019 | Natural | 2,246 | 27.6 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,518 | 32.4 mi |
Top 1 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
| # | ZIP | 5-yr incidents | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 39815 | 175 |
Six Georgia cities with population within ±25% of Attapulgus. 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.