In 2025, fire departments serving Burgettstown responded to 52 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $250K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Hazardous condition, other lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 75% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Nov dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
187 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $299K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 34 | — | |
| 2022 | 25 | -26.5% | |
| 2023 | 41 | +64.0% | |
| 2024 | 35 | -14.6% | |
| 2025 | 52 | +48.6% |
For the 9 building fires Burgettstown departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 37 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 | Outside area, other | 11 | 29.7% | |
| 2 | Other | 5 | 13.5% | |
| 3 | Cooking area, kitchen | 4 | 10.8% | |
| 4 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 4 | 10.8% | |
| 5 | Undetermined | 3 | 8.1% | |
| 6 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 2 | 5.4% | |
| 7 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 2.7% | |
| 8 | Function area, other | 1 | 2.7% | |
| 9 | Storage area, other | 1 | 2.7% | |
| 10 | Storage: supplies or tools; dead storage | 1 | 2.7% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 4 | 10.8% |
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 Burgettstown mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 16 | 43.2% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 6 | 16.2% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 8.1% | |
| 4 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 5.4% | |
| 5 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 2 | 5.4% | |
| 6 | Match | 2 | 5.4% | |
| 7 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 2.7% | |
| 8 | Arcing | 1 | 2.7% | |
| 9 | Cigarette | 1 | 2.7% | |
| 10 | Sunlight | 1 | 2.7% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 2 | 5.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Burgettstown departments in 2025. These 3 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $250,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $27,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Burgettstown sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,013 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 | 44.5 mi | |
| 2013 | Debris and open burning | 106 | 37.2 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 78 | 36.1 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 60 | 46.1 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 49 | 41.2 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 48 | 8.1 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 40 | 47.1 mi | |
| 2009 | Equipment and vehicle use | 40 | 47.2 mi | |
| 2015 | Arson/incendiarism | 35 | 37.1 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 31 | 32.2 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 30 | 21.1 mi | |
| 2016 | Debris and open burning | 30 | 41.6 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 Pennsylvania cities with population within ±25% of Burgettstown. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Burgettstown.
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.