In 2025, fire departments serving Columbiana responded to 69 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 68% of all calls.
Oct peaks. Mar dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
466 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $177K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 59 | — | |
| 2022 | 111 | +88.1% | |
| 2023 | 95 | -14.4% | |
| 2024 | 132 | +38.9% | |
| 2025 | 69 | -47.7% |
For the 12 building fires Columbiana departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 180 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 | 36 | 20.0% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 32 | 17.8% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 23 | 12.8% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 16 | 8.9% | |
| 5 | Construction/renovation area | 8 | 4.4% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 6 | 3.3% | |
| 7 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 5 | 2.8% | |
| 8 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 5 | 2.8% | |
| 9 | Other | 4 | 2.2% | |
| 10 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 4 | 2.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 41 | 22.8% |
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 Columbiana mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 76 | 42.2% | |
| 2 | Cigarette lighter | 34 | 18.9% | |
| 3 | Match | 16 | 8.9% | |
| 4 | Hot ember or ash | 9 | 5.0% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 8 | 4.4% | |
| 6 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 7 | 3.9% | |
| 7 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 6 | 3.3% | |
| 8 | Heat source: other | 5 | 2.8% | |
| 9 | Arcing | 4 | 2.2% | |
| 10 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 4 | 2.2% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 11 | 6.1% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Columbiana sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,039 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 | 34.3 mi | |
| 2013 | Debris and open burning | 106 | 19.0 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 78 | 12.7 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 60 | 34.7 mi | |
| 1992 | Arson/incendiarism | 48 | 38.6 mi | |
| 2016 | Debris and open burning | 47 | 47.6 mi | |
| 2006 | Debris and open burning | 45 | 49.8 mi | |
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 41 | 46.4 mi | |
| 2006 | Equipment and vehicle use | 38 | 44.7 mi | |
| 2015 | Arson/incendiarism | 35 | 19.8 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 31 | 42.9 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 30 | 33.8 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 Columbiana. 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.