In 2025, fire departments serving Covington responded to 31 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $25K 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 68% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Mar dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
216 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $535K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 54 | — | |
| 2022 | 45 | -16.7% | |
| 2023 | 40 | -11.1% | |
| 2024 | 46 | +15.0% | |
| 2025 | 31 | -32.6% |
For the 9 building fires Covington departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 49 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 | Outside area, other | 10 | 20.4% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 6 | 12.2% | |
| 3 | Undetermined | 5 | 10.2% | |
| 4 | Vehicle area, other | 4 | 8.2% | |
| 5 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 8.2% | |
| 6 | Railroad right of way: on or near | 3 | 6.1% | |
| 7 | Structural area, other | 2 | 4.1% | |
| 8 | Wall assembly | 2 | 4.1% | |
| 9 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 2 | 4.1% | |
| 10 | Other | 1 | 2.0% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 10 | 20.4% |
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 Covington mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 16 | 32.7% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 7 | 14.3% | |
| 3 | Hot ember or ash | 5 | 10.2% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 6.1% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 6.1% | |
| 6 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 4.1% | |
| 7 | Heat from undetermined smoking material | 2 | 4.1% | |
| 8 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 2 | 4.1% | |
| 9 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 2 | 4.1% | |
| 10 | Conducted heat from another fire | 2 | 4.1% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 5 | 10.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Covington departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $25,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $15,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $6,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $500 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Covington sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 2 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 40 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Debris and open burning | 25 | 22.1 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 15 | 35.1 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 Covington. 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.