In 2025, fire departments serving Capon Bridge responded to 36 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $5K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Power line down lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 78% of all calls.
Jun peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
255 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $936K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 37 | — | |
| 2022 | 65 | +75.7% | |
| 2023 | 67 | +3.1% | |
| 2024 | 50 | -25.4% | |
| 2025 | 36 | -28.0% |
For the 6 building fires Capon Bridge departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 31 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 | 6 | 19.4% | |
| 2 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 9.7% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 9.7% | |
| 4 | Other | 2 | 6.5% | |
| 5 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 2 | 6.5% | |
| 6 | Outside area, other | 2 | 6.5% | |
| 7 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 6.5% | |
| 8 | Multiple areas | 2 | 6.5% | |
| 9 | Entrance way, lobby | 1 | 3.2% | |
| 10 | Storage area, other | 1 | 3.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 7 | 22.6% |
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 Capon Bridge mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 17 | 54.8% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 5 | 16.1% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 4 | 12.9% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 9.7% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 3.2% | |
| 6 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 1 | 3.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Capon Bridge departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $3,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $2,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $1,000 | Trash or rubbish fire, contained | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $1,000 | Forest, woods or wildland fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $500 | Electrical wiring/equipment problem, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $500 | Forest, woods or wildland fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Capon Bridge sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 38,583 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Recreation and ceremony | 16,021 | 48.0 mi | |
| 2000 | Natural | 2,743 | 43.3 mi | |
| 2012 | Natural | 2,138 | 41.6 mi | |
| 2011 | Other causes | 1,989 | 36.4 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,935 | 43.5 mi | |
| 2001 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,800 | 48.5 mi | |
| 2012 | Natural | 1,200 | 29.5 mi | |
| 2000 | Recreation and ceremony | 1,113 | 47.4 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,000 | 38.2 mi | |
| 2014 | Arson/incendiarism | 888 | 39.8 mi | |
| 2012 | Recreation and ceremony | 755 | 29.3 mi | |
| 2005 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 755 | 42.0 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 West Virginia cities with population within ±25% of Capon Bridge. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Capon Bridge.
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.