In 2025, fire departments serving Big Stone Gap responded to 36 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $327K 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 64% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Jun dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
240 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $2.9M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 36 | — | |
| 2022 | 55 | +52.8% | |
| 2023 | 60 | +9.1% | |
| 2024 | 53 | -11.7% | |
| 2025 | 36 | -32.1% |
For the 11 building fires Big Stone Gap departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 100 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 | Wildland, woods | 19 | 19.0% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 10 | 10.0% | |
| 3 | Multiple areas | 8 | 8.0% | |
| 4 | Undetermined | 8 | 8.0% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 5 | 5.0% | |
| 6 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 5 | 5.0% | |
| 7 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 4 | 4.0% | |
| 8 | Other | 3 | 3.0% | |
| 9 | Function area, other | 3 | 3.0% | |
| 10 | Outside area, other | 3 | 3.0% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 32 | 32.0% |
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 Big Stone Gap mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 48 | 48.0% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 14 | 14.0% | |
| 3 | Multiple heat sources including multiple ignitions | 8 | 8.0% | |
| 4 | Hot ember or ash | 7 | 7.0% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 3.0% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 3.0% | |
| 7 | Cigarette lighter | 3 | 3.0% | |
| 8 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 2.0% | |
| 9 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 2.0% | |
| 10 | Cigarette | 2 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 8 | 8.0% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Big Stone Gap departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 97% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $327,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $250,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 3 | $138,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $15,000 | Unauthorized burning | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $8,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Big Stone Gap sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 81,763 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 10,000 | 43.9 mi | |
| 2016 | Recreation and ceremony | 7,400 | 21.3 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 4,070 | 43.1 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,860 | 40.2 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,539 | 28.1 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,500 | 41.4 mi | |
| 2000 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,300 | 15.7 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,200 | 33.1 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,100 | 31.7 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,040 | 22.0 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,000 | 27.5 mi | |
| 2000 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 2,850 | 35.6 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 Virginia cities with population within ±25% of Big Stone Gap. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Big Stone Gap.
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.