In 2025, fire departments serving Connersville responded to 240 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $800K 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 59% of all calls.
Jun peaks. Sep dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
1,197 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $4.2M cumulative property loss. 1 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 187 | — | |
| 2022 | 261 | +39.6% | |
| 2023 | 234 | -10.3% | |
| 2024 | 275 | +17.5% | |
| 2025 | 240 | -12.7% |
For the 15 building fires Connersville departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 294 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 | Other | 53 | 18.0% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 50 | 17.0% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 47 | 16.0% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 20 | 6.8% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 16 | 5.4% | |
| 6 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 13 | 4.4% | |
| 7 | Vehicle area, other | 12 | 4.1% | |
| 8 | Function area, other | 11 | 3.7% | |
| 9 | Storage area, other | 10 | 3.4% | |
| 10 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 5 | 1.7% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 57 | 19.4% |
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 Connersville mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 140 | 47.6% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 36 | 12.2% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 19 | 6.5% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 17 | 5.8% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 16 | 5.4% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 13 | 4.4% | |
| 7 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 11 | 3.7% | |
| 8 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 10 | 3.4% | |
| 9 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 7 | 2.4% | |
| 10 | Cigarette | 5 | 1.7% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 20 | 6.8% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Connersville departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 99% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $800,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $500,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 3 | $70,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $35,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $15,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $12,000 | Camper or recreational vehicle (RV) fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $10,000 | Mobile property (vehicle) fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $5,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Connersville sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 22 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,945 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Arson/incendiarism | 870 | 48.2 mi | |
| 2010 | Arson/incendiarism | 450 | 48.4 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 300 | 48.2 mi | |
| 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 280 | 47.1 mi | |
| 2015 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 220 | 48.2 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 200 | 48.7 mi | |
| 2011 | Arson/incendiarism | 100 | 47.6 mi | |
| 2018 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 74 | 48.1 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 72 | 48.2 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 65 | 48.1 mi | |
| 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 65 | 48.0 mi | |
| 2011 | Firearms and explosives use | 60 | 47.9 mi |
Top 1 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
| # | ZIP | 5-yr incidents | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 47331 | 1,197 |
Six Indiana cities with population within ±25% of Connersville. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Connersville.
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.