In 2025, fire departments serving Clayton responded to 99 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $200K 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 56% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Sep dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
389 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $2.3M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 53 | — | |
| 2022 | 67 | +26.4% | |
| 2023 | 88 | +31.3% | |
| 2024 | 82 | -6.8% | |
| 2025 | 99 | +20.7% |
For the 14 building fires Clayton departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 99 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 | 30 | 30.3% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 23 | 23.2% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 13 | 13.1% | |
| 4 | Other | 5 | 5.1% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 3.0% | |
| 6 | Storage area, other | 3 | 3.0% | |
| 7 | Outside area, other | 3 | 3.0% | |
| 8 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 2.0% | |
| 9 | Storage: supplies or tools; dead storage | 2 | 2.0% | |
| 10 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 13 | 13.1% |
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 Clayton mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 59 | 59.6% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 7 | 7.1% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 5 | 5.1% | |
| 4 | Heat source: other | 4 | 4.0% | |
| 5 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 3.0% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 3.0% | |
| 7 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 3 | 3.0% | |
| 8 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 3 | 3.0% | |
| 9 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 2.0% | |
| 10 | Molten, hot material | 2 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 8 | 8.1% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Clayton departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 96% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $200,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $150,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $80,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $70,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $30,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $20,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $20,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $12,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Clayton sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,375 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,549 | 34.7 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 165 | 38.1 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 156 | 37.5 mi | |
| 1995 | Arson/incendiarism | 47 | 45.7 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 40 | 31.2 mi | |
| 1999 | Recreation and ceremony | 37 | 45.3 mi | |
| 2012 | Equipment and vehicle use | 35 | 47.8 mi | |
| 1997 | Arson/incendiarism | 34 | 48.0 mi | |
| 2005 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 30 | 46.6 mi | |
| 2000 | Debris and open burning | 30 | 49.2 mi | |
| 2016 | Equipment and vehicle use | 25 | 49.1 mi | |
| 1999 | Smoking | 23 | 46.4 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 Indiana cities with population within ±25% of Clayton. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Clayton.
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.