In 2025, fire departments serving Carlisle responded to 72 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $35K 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 74% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Sep dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
355 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $253K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 70 | — | |
| 2022 | 66 | -5.7% | |
| 2023 | 61 | -7.6% | |
| 2024 | 86 | +41.0% | |
| 2025 | 72 | -16.3% |
For the 16 building fires Carlisle departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 42 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 | 14 | 33.3% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 7 | 16.7% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 4 | 9.5% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 7.1% | |
| 5 | Wall surface: exterior | 2 | 4.8% | |
| 6 | Outside area, other | 2 | 4.8% | |
| 7 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 8 | Dining room, cafeteria bar area, beverage service | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 9 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 10 | Heating room or area, water heater area | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 6 | 14.3% |
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 Carlisle mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 16 | 38.1% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 5 | 11.9% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 5 | 11.9% | |
| 4 | Match | 3 | 7.1% | |
| 5 | Heat source: other | 2 | 4.8% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 4.8% | |
| 7 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 4.8% | |
| 8 | Cigarette | 2 | 4.8% | |
| 9 | Backfire from internal combustion engine | 2 | 4.8% | |
| 10 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 2 | 4.8% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 2.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Carlisle departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $35,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $150 | Cooking fire, confined to container | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Carlisle sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 9 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 345 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 125 | 45.2 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 57 | 49.3 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 53 | 48.1 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 25 | 42.8 mi | |
| 2002 | Debris and open burning | 25 | 38.8 mi | |
| 2018 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 20 | 43.3 mi | |
| 2012 | Recreation and ceremony | 15 | 49.1 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 15 | 40.0 mi | |
| 2007 | Debris and open burning | 10 | 43.2 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 Ohio cities with population within ±25% of Carlisle. 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.