In 2025, fire departments serving Black Jack responded to 113 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $200K 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 71% of all calls.
Sep peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
310 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $1.6M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 57 | — | |
| 2022 | 43 | -24.6% | |
| 2023 | 57 | +32.6% | |
| 2024 | 40 | -29.8% | |
| 2025 | 113 | +182.5% |
For the 30 building fires Black Jack departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 58 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 | 11 | 19.0% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 9 | 15.5% | |
| 3 | Cooking area, kitchen | 8 | 13.8% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 8 | 13.8% | |
| 5 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 3 | 5.2% | |
| 6 | Other | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 7 | Function area, other | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Substructure area or space, crawl space | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Ceiling & floor assembly, crawl space b/t stories | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 10 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 9 | 15.5% |
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 Black Jack mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 34 | 58.6% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 5 | 8.6% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 5 | 8.6% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 6 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 8 | Fireworks | 2 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 1.7% | |
| 10 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 1.7% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 2 | 3.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Black Jack departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 99% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $200,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $190,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $150,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $25,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $15,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $10,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $5,000 | Cooking fire, confined to container | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Black Jack sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 3,318 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,475 | 18.4 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 360 | 50.0 mi | |
| 2005 | Natural | 225 | 43.4 mi | |
| 2002 | Natural | 150 | 43.8 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 43.3 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 49.1 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 80 | 30.6 mi | |
| 2007 | Equipment and vehicle use | 80 | 17.4 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 75 | 34.6 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 60 | 43.3 mi | |
| 2004 | Recreation and ceremony | 56 | 47.4 mi | |
| 2003 | Arson/incendiarism | 50 | 42.2 mi |
Top 3 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Missouri cities with population within ±25% of Black Jack. 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.