In 2025, fire departments serving Columbus Grove responded to 52 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $150K 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 65% of all calls.
Oct peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
173 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $1.1M cumulative property loss. 4 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 22 | — | |
| 2022 | 29 | +31.8% | |
| 2023 | 42 | +44.8% | |
| 2024 | 28 | -33.3% | |
| 2025 | 52 | +85.7% |
For the 14 building fires Columbus Grove departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 71 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 | 27 | 38.0% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 9 | 12.7% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 7 | 9.9% | |
| 4 | Wildland, woods | 6 | 8.5% | |
| 5 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 5.6% | |
| 6 | Corridor, mall | 2 | 2.8% | |
| 7 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 2.8% | |
| 8 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 2.8% | |
| 9 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 2.8% | |
| 10 | Other | 1 | 1.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 9 | 12.7% |
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 Columbus Grove mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 23 | 32.4% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 8 | 11.3% | |
| 3 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 6 | 8.5% | |
| 4 | Cigarette lighter | 5 | 7.0% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 4 | 5.6% | |
| 6 | Arcing | 4 | 5.6% | |
| 7 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 8 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 3 | 4.2% | |
| 9 | Incendiary device | 2 | 2.8% | |
| 10 | Candle | 2 | 2.8% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 11 | 15.5% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Columbus Grove departments in 2025. These 5 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $150,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $2,000 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $2,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $600 | Cooking fire, confined to container | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Columbus Grove sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 7 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 481 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 | 45.5 mi | |
| 2019 | Debris and open burning | 58 | 21.3 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 49.5 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 11 | 44.0 mi | |
| 2019 | Debris and open burning | 10 | 18.4 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 10 | 42.6 mi | |
| 2016 | Debris and open burning | 10 | 48.3 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 Columbus Grove. 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.