In 2025, fire departments serving Bulls Gap responded to 48 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $50K 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 73% of all calls.
Apr peaks. May dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
210 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $126K cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 31 | — | |
| 2022 | 50 | +61.3% | |
| 2023 | 39 | -22.0% | |
| 2024 | 42 | +7.7% | |
| 2025 | 48 | +14.3% |
For the 16 building fires Bulls Gap departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 34 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 | 9 | 26.5% | |
| 2 | Other | 5 | 14.7% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 11.8% | |
| 4 | Bedroom - 5+ persons; including barrack/dormitory | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 5 | Storage area, other | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 6 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 7 | Escalator - exterior, interior | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Entrance way, lobby | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Function area, other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 6 | 17.6% |
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 Bulls Gap mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 17 | 50.0% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 4 | 11.8% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 8.8% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 5 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 7 | Arcing | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Fireworks | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 2.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Bulls Gap departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $5,000 | Fire in motor home, camper, recreational vehicle | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $4,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $2,500 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Bulls Gap sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 76,988 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Misuse of fire by a minor | 17,140 | 49.0 mi | |
| 2016 | Recreation and ceremony | 7,400 | 46.4 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 5,964 | 29.8 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,860 | 38.5 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,539 | 44.7 mi | |
| 2000 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,300 | 43.8 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,943 | 27.0 mi | |
| 2000 | Debris and open burning | 2,738 | 47.6 mi | |
| 2016 | Debris and open burning | 2,436 | 27.2 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,252 | 43.0 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,200 | 32.5 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,200 | 49.8 mi |
Top 7 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six Tennessee cities with population within ±25% of Bulls Gap. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Bulls 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.