In 2025, fire departments serving Columbus responded to 42 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $200K 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 67% of all calls.
Feb peaks. Sep dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
190 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $1.9M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 32 | — | |
| 2022 | 43 | +34.4% | |
| 2023 | 38 | -11.6% | |
| 2024 | 35 | -7.9% | |
| 2025 | 42 | +20.0% |
For the 6 building fires Columbus departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 38 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 | 17 | 44.7% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 6 | 15.8% | |
| 3 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 5.3% | |
| 4 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 2 | 5.3% | |
| 5 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 2 | 5.3% | |
| 6 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 7 | Storage area, other | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 8 | Storage room, area, tank, or bin | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 9 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 10 | Heating room or area, water heater area | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 4 | 10.5% |
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 mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 26 | 68.4% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 6 | 15.8% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 5.3% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 6 | Arcing | 1 | 2.6% | |
| 7 | Cigarette | 1 | 2.6% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Columbus departments in 2025. These 7 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $200,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $2,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $1,500 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $500 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $500 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $500 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Columbus sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 19,995 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Debris and open burning | 8,513 | 3.9 mi | |
| 2009 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,550 | 2.1 mi | |
| 1996 | Debris and open burning | 1,299 | 31.4 mi | |
| 2004 | Recreation and ceremony | 1,000 | 31.4 mi | |
| 2004 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 835 | 37.1 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 656 | 46.2 mi | |
| 2000 | Smoking | 420 | 9.2 mi | |
| 2004 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 358 | 43.1 mi | |
| 2010 | Equipment and vehicle use | 336 | 9.7 mi | |
| 2004 | Arson/incendiarism | 335 | 45.3 mi | |
| 1995 | Debris and open burning | 320 | 36.9 mi | |
| 1999 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 306 | 10.3 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 Minnesota cities with population within ±25% of Columbus. 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.