In 2025, fire departments serving Camden responded to 46 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 59% of all calls.
May peaks. Jul dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
369 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $588K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 98 | — | |
| 2022 | 73 | -25.5% | |
| 2023 | 73 | +0.0% | |
| 2024 | 79 | +8.2% | |
| 2025 | 46 | -41.8% |
For the 15 building fires Camden departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 117 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 | 27 | 23.1% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 23 | 19.7% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 9 | 7.7% | |
| 4 | Other | 8 | 6.8% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 7 | 6.0% | |
| 6 | Vehicle area, other | 6 | 5.1% | |
| 7 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 5 | 4.3% | |
| 8 | Wildland, woods | 4 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Egress/exit, other | 3 | 2.6% | |
| 10 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 3 | 2.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 22 | 18.8% |
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 Camden mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 67 | 57.3% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 17 | 14.5% | |
| 3 | Cigarette lighter | 9 | 7.7% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 6 | 5.1% | |
| 5 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 4 | 3.4% | |
| 6 | Heat, spark from friction | 3 | 2.6% | |
| 7 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 2.6% | |
| 8 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 1.7% | |
| 9 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 2 | 1.7% | |
| 10 | Arcing | 1 | 0.9% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 3 | 2.6% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Camden departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $50,000 | Camper or recreational vehicle (RV) fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Camden sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 3 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 70 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 25 | 45.3 mi | |
| 2002 | Debris and open burning | 25 | 47.4 mi | |
| 2018 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 20 | 45.8 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 Ohio cities with population within ±25% of Camden. 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.