In 2025, fire departments serving Cumberland responded to 26 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $5K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Fire, other lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 69% of all calls.
Mar peaks. May dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
136 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $30K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 17 | — | |
| 2022 | 22 | +29.4% | |
| 2023 | 37 | +68.2% | |
| 2024 | 34 | -8.1% | |
| 2025 | 26 | -23.5% |
For the 0 building fires Cumberland departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 41 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 | 20 | 48.8% | |
| 2 | Vehicle area, other | 4 | 9.8% | |
| 3 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 4.9% | |
| 4 | Structural area, other | 2 | 4.9% | |
| 5 | Ceiling & floor assembly, crawl space b/t stories | 2 | 4.9% | |
| 6 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 2 | 4.9% | |
| 7 | Other | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 8 | Dining room, cafeteria bar area, beverage service | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 9 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 10 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 5 | 12.2% |
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 Cumberland mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 35 | 85.4% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 3 | 7.3% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 5 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 1 | 2.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Cumberland departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $5,000 | Trash or rubbish fire, contained | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Cumberland sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 91,530 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 10,000 | 34.0 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 7,500 | 47.8 mi | |
| 2016 | Recreation and ceremony | 7,400 | 9.6 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 4,070 | 32.0 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,860 | 32.7 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,539 | 17.5 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,500 | 30.3 mi | |
| 2016 | Debris and open burning | 3,500 | 49.1 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,406 | 44.1 mi | |
| 2000 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 3,300 | 7.1 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,200 | 33.9 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,100 | 31.1 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 Kentucky cities with population within ±25% of Cumberland. 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.