In 2025, fire departments serving Clayton responded to 53 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $100K 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 66% of all calls.
Jun peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
343 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $570K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 50 | — | |
| 2022 | 70 | +40.0% | |
| 2023 | 94 | +34.3% | |
| 2024 | 76 | -19.1% | |
| 2025 | 53 | -30.3% |
For the 7 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 60 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 | 12 | 20.0% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 10 | 16.7% | |
| 3 | Processing/manufacturing area, workroom | 5 | 8.3% | |
| 4 | Undetermined | 5 | 8.3% | |
| 5 | Exterior, exposed surface | 4 | 6.7% | |
| 6 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 3 | 5.0% | |
| 7 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 5.0% | |
| 8 | Other | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 9 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 10 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 12 | 20.0% |
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 | 32 | 53.3% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 7 | 11.7% | |
| 3 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 4 | 6.7% | |
| 4 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 3 | 5.0% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 7 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 2 | 3.3% | |
| 8 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 1.7% | |
| 9 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 1.7% | |
| 10 | Arcing | 1 | 1.7% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 5 | 8.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Clayton departments in 2025. These 6 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $25,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $15,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $15,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $6,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $3,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Clayton sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 2 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 40 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Debris and open burning | 25 | 24.5 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 15 | 32.1 mi |
Top 5 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 Clayton. 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.