In 2025, fire departments serving Continental responded to 25 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $40K 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 60% of all calls.
Nov peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
151 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $1.7M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 29 | — | |
| 2022 | 41 | +41.4% | |
| 2023 | 24 | -41.5% | |
| 2024 | 32 | +33.3% | |
| 2025 | 25 | -21.9% |
For the 5 building fires Continental departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 46 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 | 12 | 26.1% | |
| 2 | Function area, other | 4 | 8.7% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 8.7% | |
| 4 | Structural area, other | 3 | 6.5% | |
| 5 | Outside area, other | 3 | 6.5% | |
| 6 | Undetermined | 3 | 6.5% | |
| 7 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 8 | Storage: supplies or tools; dead storage | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 9 | Substructure area or space, crawl space | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 10 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 2 | 4.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 9 | 19.6% |
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 Continental mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 12 | 26.1% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 7 | 15.2% | |
| 3 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 4 | 8.7% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 4 | 8.7% | |
| 5 | Heat source: other | 3 | 6.5% | |
| 6 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 6.5% | |
| 7 | Arcing | 3 | 6.5% | |
| 8 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 3 | 6.5% | |
| 9 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 3 | 6.5% | |
| 10 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 3 | 6.5% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Continental departments in 2025. These 3 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $40,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $15,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $8,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Continental sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 13 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 274 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Debris and open burning | 58 | 11.3 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 38.3 mi | |
| 2002 | Recreation and ceremony | 35 | 42.6 mi | |
| 2017 | Debris and open burning | 22 | 44.1 mi | |
| 2004 | Debris and open burning | 20 | 43.2 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 16 | 39.2 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 12 | 49.3 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 11 | 35.5 mi | |
| 2018 | Equipment and vehicle use | 10 | 48.1 mi | |
| 2019 | Equipment and vehicle use | 10 | 44.3 mi | |
| 2019 | Debris and open burning | 10 | 9.0 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 10 | 35.2 mi |
Top 3 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 Continental. 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.