In 2025, fire departments serving Bellville responded to 57 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $88K 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.
Nov peaks. Jul dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
293 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $881K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 50 | — | |
| 2022 | 77 | +54.0% | |
| 2023 | 56 | -27.3% | |
| 2024 | 53 | -5.4% | |
| 2025 | 57 | +7.5% |
For the 21 building fires Bellville departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 96 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 | 20 | 20.8% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 12 | 12.5% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 11 | 11.5% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 8 | 8.3% | |
| 5 | Wildland, woods | 7 | 7.3% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 5 | 5.2% | |
| 7 | Storage area, other | 5 | 5.2% | |
| 8 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 4 | 4.2% | |
| 9 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 3.1% | |
| 10 | Exterior, exposed surface | 3 | 3.1% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 18 | 18.8% |
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 Bellville mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 45 | 46.9% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 9 | 9.4% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 7 | 7.3% | |
| 4 | Match | 6 | 6.2% | |
| 5 | Heat source: other | 4 | 4.2% | |
| 6 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 4 | 4.2% | |
| 7 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 3.1% | |
| 8 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 3 | 3.1% | |
| 9 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 2.1% | |
| 10 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 2.1% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 11 | 11.5% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Bellville departments in 2025. These 6 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $87,800 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $16,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $3,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Bellville sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,131 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 | 38.9 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 171 | 11.9 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 37.6 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 42.0 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 35 | 37.5 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 30 | 29.3 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 30 | 35.1 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 25 | 46.8 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 25 | 37.5 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 25 | 35.8 mi | |
| 2002 | Recreation and ceremony | 25 | 36.4 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 20 | 48.6 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 Bellville. 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.