In 2025, fire departments serving Blackville responded to 17 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 88% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Jul dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
125 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $220K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 18 | — | |
| 2022 | 36 | +100.0% | |
| 2023 | 31 | -13.9% | |
| 2024 | 23 | -25.8% | |
| 2025 | 17 | -26.1% |
For the 6 building fires Blackville departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 35 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 | 12 | 34.3% | |
| 2 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 3 | 8.6% | |
| 3 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 3 | 8.6% | |
| 4 | Substructure area or space, crawl space | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 5 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 6 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 7 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 8 | Wildland, woods | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 9 | Other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Egress/exit, other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 5 | 14.3% |
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 Blackville mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 23 | 65.7% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 3 | 8.6% | |
| 3 | Heat source: other | 2 | 5.7% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 5 | Incendiary device | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 6 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 7 | Candle | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Backfire from internal combustion engine | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Conducted heat from another fire | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Multiple heat sources including multiple ignitions | 1 | 2.9% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Blackville sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 9,679 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Debris and open burning | 950 | 22.1 mi | |
| 2006 | Debris and open burning | 709 | 38.2 mi | |
| 1993 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 650 | 17.6 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 586 | 29.7 mi | |
| 2001 | Equipment and vehicle use | 549 | 44.8 mi | |
| 2000 | Debris and open burning | 481 | 31.8 mi | |
| 1995 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 460 | 47.5 mi | |
| 2002 | Natural | 405 | 49.9 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 373 | 28.5 mi | |
| 1993 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 373 | 32.9 mi | |
| 1997 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 350 | 27.3 mi | |
| 2008 | Arson/incendiarism | 346 | 41.1 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 South Carolina cities with population within ±25% of Blackville. 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.