In 2025, fire departments serving Columbus responded to 11 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 91% of all calls.
Nov peaks. Feb dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
71 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $772K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 11 | — | |
| 2022 | 18 | +63.6% | |
| 2023 | 20 | +11.1% | |
| 2024 | 11 | -45.0% | |
| 2025 | 11 | +0.0% |
For the 3 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 30 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 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 8 | 26.7% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 5 | 16.7% | |
| 3 | Exterior, exposed surface | 3 | 10.0% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 3 | 10.0% | |
| 5 | Undetermined | 2 | 6.7% | |
| 6 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 7 | Processing/manufacturing area, workroom | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 8 | Storage room, area, tank, or bin | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 9 | Heating room or area, water heater area | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 10 | Wall assembly | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 4 | 13.3% |
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 | 9 | 30.0% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 3 | 10.0% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 10.0% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 6.7% | |
| 5 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 6.7% | |
| 6 | Chemical reaction | 2 | 6.7% | |
| 7 | Lightning | 2 | 6.7% | |
| 8 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 2 | 6.7% | |
| 9 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 10 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 3 | 10.0% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Columbus sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 7,675 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,700 | 32.1 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 1,000 | 42.4 mi | |
| 2014 | Smoking | 700 | 40.6 mi | |
| 2008 | Debris and open burning | 500 | 35.9 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 450 | 37.6 mi | |
| 2011 | Smoking | 320 | 15.6 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 300 | 34.4 mi | |
| 2014 | Equipment and vehicle use | 280 | 47.4 mi | |
| 2019 | Natural | 240 | 49.8 mi | |
| 2019 | Debris and open burning | 200 | 38.5 mi | |
| 2011 | Equipment and vehicle use | 200 | 48.3 mi | |
| 2009 | Debris and open burning | 160 | 14.4 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 Nebraska cities with population within ±25% of Columbus. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Columbus.
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.