In 2025, fire departments serving Blanchester responded to 60 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $650K 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 62% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
447 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $2.9M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 72 | — | |
| 2022 | 115 | +59.7% | |
| 2023 | 110 | -4.3% | |
| 2024 | 90 | -18.2% | |
| 2025 | 60 | -33.3% |
For the 19 building fires Blanchester departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 101 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 | 27 | 26.7% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 15 | 14.9% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 14 | 13.9% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 12 | 11.9% | |
| 5 | Other | 4 | 4.0% | |
| 6 | Function area, other | 3 | 3.0% | |
| 7 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 2.0% | |
| 8 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 2 | 2.0% | |
| 9 | Structural area, other | 2 | 2.0% | |
| 10 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 2 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 18 | 17.8% |
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 Blanchester mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 57 | 56.4% | |
| 2 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 7 | 6.9% | |
| 3 | Match | 5 | 5.0% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 4 | 4.0% | |
| 5 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 4 | 4.0% | |
| 6 | Cigarette lighter | 4 | 4.0% | |
| 7 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 3.0% | |
| 8 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 2.0% | |
| 9 | Arcing | 2 | 2.0% | |
| 10 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 2 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 11 | 10.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Blanchester departments in 2025. These 6 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $650,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $500,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 3 | $60,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $20,000 | Outside storage fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $15,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $500 | Trash or rubbish fire, contained | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Blanchester sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,052 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 125 | 18.5 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 70 | 36.8 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 65 | 48.5 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 57 | 41.0 mi | |
| 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 55 | 38.4 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 53 | 38.1 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 38.1 mi | |
| 2008 | Arson/incendiarism | 47 | 42.2 mi | |
| 2004 | Debris and open burning | 45 | 30.4 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 | 40.3 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 | 39.6 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 40 | 40.4 mi |
Top 4 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 Blanchester. 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.