In 2025, fire departments serving Chester responded to 44 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $27K 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 71% of all calls.
Feb peaks. Mar dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
308 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $1.2M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 58 | — | |
| 2022 | 48 | -17.2% | |
| 2023 | 64 | +33.3% | |
| 2024 | 94 | +46.9% | |
| 2025 | 44 | -53.2% |
For the 14 building fires Chester departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 46 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 | 15 | 32.6% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 6 | 13.0% | |
| 3 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 3 | 6.5% | |
| 4 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 3 | 6.5% | |
| 5 | Exterior, exposed surface | 3 | 6.5% | |
| 6 | Entrance way, lobby | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 7 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 8 | Ceiling & floor assembly, crawl space b/t stories | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 9 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 10 | Heating room or area, water heater area | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 7 | 15.2% |
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 Chester mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 31 | 67.4% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 5 | 10.9% | |
| 3 | Radiated heat from another fire | 4 | 8.7% | |
| 4 | Cigarette | 3 | 6.5% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 7 | Match | 1 | 2.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Chester departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 98% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $26,700 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $20,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $15,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $11,100 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $5,000 | Camper or recreational vehicle (RV) fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $5,000 | Outside rubbish, trash or waste fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Chester sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 944 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 | 33.2 mi | |
| 2013 | Debris and open burning | 106 | 24.7 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 78 | 18.8 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 60 | 34.5 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 48 | 19.0 mi | |
| 2015 | Arson/incendiarism | 35 | 21.8 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 31 | 30.7 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 30 | 43.0 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 30 | 12.1 mi | |
| 2016 | Debris and open burning | 30 | 25.7 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 29 | 43.5 mi | |
| 2013 | Debris and open burning | 25 | 28.4 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 West Virginia cities with population within ±25% of Chester. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Chester.
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.