In 2025, fire departments serving Cowan responded to 151 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $50K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Authorized controlled burning lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 99% of all calls.
Nov peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
834 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $442K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 197 | — | |
| 2022 | 138 | -29.9% | |
| 2023 | 166 | +20.3% | |
| 2024 | 182 | +9.6% | |
| 2025 | 151 | -17.0% |
For the 7 building fires Cowan departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 16 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 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 3 | 18.8% | |
| 2 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 12.5% | |
| 3 | Wildland, woods | 2 | 12.5% | |
| 4 | Other | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 5 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 6 | Storage area, other | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 7 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 8 | Fuel tank, fuel line | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 9 | Exterior, exposed surface | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 10 | Outside area, other | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 2 | 12.5% |
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 Cowan mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 4 | 25.0% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 18.8% | |
| 3 | Heat, spark from friction | 2 | 12.5% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 5 | Explosive, fireworks, other | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 6 | Fireworks | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 7 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 8 | Pipe or cigar | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 9 | Heat from undetermined smoking material | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 10 | Chemical reaction | 1 | 6.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Cowan departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $41,810 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $30,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Cowan sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 32,988 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Debris and open burning | 2,836 | 42.5 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,480 | 44.5 mi | |
| 2016 | Recreation and ceremony | 2,083 | 38.2 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,080 | 37.7 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,035 | 30.8 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 2,000 | 43.4 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,747 | 32.5 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,560 | 23.5 mi | |
| 2012 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,167 | 27.3 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,120 | 47.2 mi | |
| 2001 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 1,100 | 33.3 mi | |
| 2007 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,075 | 34.8 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 Tennessee cities with population within ±25% of Cowan. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Cowan.
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.