In 2025, fire departments serving Centerburg responded to 54 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $250K 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 57% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Jun dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
315 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $1.0M cumulative property loss. 4 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 39 | — | |
| 2022 | 92 | +135.9% | |
| 2023 | 70 | -23.9% | |
| 2024 | 60 | -14.3% | |
| 2025 | 54 | -10.0% |
For the 15 building fires Centerburg departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 72 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 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 15 | 20.8% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 14 | 19.4% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 11 | 15.3% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 5 | Wall surface: exterior | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 6 | Outside area, other | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 7 | Wildland, woods | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 8 | Other | 2 | 2.8% | |
| 9 | Roof surface: exterior | 2 | 2.8% | |
| 10 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 2 | 2.8% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 14 | 19.4% |
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 Centerburg mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 30 | 41.7% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 9 | 12.5% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 5 | 6.9% | |
| 4 | Heat, spark from friction | 4 | 5.6% | |
| 5 | Molten, hot material | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 7 | Radiated heat from another fire | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 8 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 2.8% | |
| 9 | Cigarette | 2 | 2.8% | |
| 10 | Match | 2 | 2.8% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 9 | 12.5% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Centerburg departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $250,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $5,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $3,500 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Centerburg sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
7 fire-related casualties recorded in NFIRS Module 11 across the 2021–2025 window. Age, gender, and severity are coarse-binned — no individual identification possible.
| Age | Count | |
|---|---|---|
| 0-9 | 0 | |
| 10-19 | 0 | |
| 20-29 | 2 | |
| 30-39 | 0 | |
| 40-49 | 0 | |
| 50-59 | 0 | |
| 60-69 | 2 | |
| 70-79 | 1 | |
| 80+ | 2 |
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,289 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 332 | 38.3 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 171 | 33.7 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 37.1 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 34.1 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 45.6 mi | |
| 2015 | Arson/incendiarism | 50 | 49.2 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 34.5 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 35 | 47.4 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 35 | 36.1 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 30 | 36.5 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 30 | 35.2 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 25 | 44.0 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 Ohio cities with population within ±25% of Centerburg. 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.