In 2025, fire departments serving Creston responded to 27 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $150K 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 78% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Jun dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
139 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $554K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 20 | — | |
| 2022 | 26 | +30.0% | |
| 2023 | 26 | +0.0% | |
| 2024 | 40 | +53.8% | |
| 2025 | 27 | -32.5% |
For the 13 building fires Creston departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 43 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 | Undetermined | 15 | 34.9% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 9 | 20.9% | |
| 3 | Wildland, woods | 4 | 9.3% | |
| 4 | Other | 2 | 4.7% | |
| 5 | Fuel tank, fuel line | 2 | 4.7% | |
| 6 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 4.7% | |
| 7 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 8 | Bathroom, checkroom, lavatory, locker room | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 9 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 10 | Structural area, other | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 5 | 11.6% |
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 Creston mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 22 | 51.2% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 4 | 9.3% | |
| 3 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 4 | 9.3% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 7.0% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 4.7% | |
| 6 | Heat from undetermined smoking material | 2 | 4.7% | |
| 7 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 2 | 4.7% | |
| 8 | Heat source: other | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 9 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 10 | Chemical, natural heat source, other | 1 | 2.3% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 2.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Creston departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $150,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $35,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $15,000 | Fire in mobile home used as fixed residence | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Creston sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 932 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 175 | 45.7 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 171 | 29.1 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 49.6 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 60 | 44.0 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 30 | 37.9 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 30 | 48.0 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 30 | 31.4 mi | |
| 2002 | Recreation and ceremony | 25 | 8.1 mi | |
| 2013 | Debris and open burning | 25 | 46.1 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 22 | 45.1 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 20 | 23.8 mi | |
| 2020 | Debris and open burning | 20 | 27.3 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 Creston. 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.