In 2025, fire departments serving Bolivar responded to 45 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $25K 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 69% of all calls.
Feb peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
236 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $407K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 34 | — | |
| 2022 | 47 | +38.2% | |
| 2023 | 52 | +10.6% | |
| 2024 | 58 | +11.5% | |
| 2025 | 45 | -22.4% |
For the 14 building fires Bolivar departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 56 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 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 12 | 21.4% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 10 | 17.9% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 5 | 8.9% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 5.4% | |
| 5 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 3 | 5.4% | |
| 6 | Wall surface: exterior | 3 | 5.4% | |
| 7 | Other | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 8 | Structural area, other | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 9 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 10 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 12 | 21.4% |
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 Bolivar mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 16 | 28.6% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 8 | 14.3% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 6 | 10.7% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 6 | 10.7% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 5 | 8.9% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 4 | 7.1% | |
| 7 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 8 | Cigarette lighter | 2 | 3.6% | |
| 9 | Heat source: other | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 10 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 1.8% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 5 | 8.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Bolivar departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $25,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $20,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $2,500 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $2,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $1,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $600 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $500 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Bolivar sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,336 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 175 | 14.4 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 171 | 45.2 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 39.2 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 31.3 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 78 | 32.2 mi | |
| 2013 | Recreation and ceremony | 75 | 42.6 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 60 | 12.8 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 49.8 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 31.5 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 35 | 40.6 mi | |
| 2015 | Arson/incendiarism | 35 | 26.0 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 31 | 33.5 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 Bolivar. 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.