In 2025, fire departments serving Daniels responded to 16 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $30K 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 87% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
129 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $274K cumulative property loss. 2 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 17 | — | |
| 2022 | 36 | +111.8% | |
| 2023 | 23 | -36.1% | |
| 2024 | 37 | +60.9% | |
| 2025 | 16 | -56.8% |
For the 7 building fires Daniels departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 42 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 | 10 | 23.8% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 6 | 14.3% | |
| 3 | Wildland, woods | 6 | 14.3% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 7.1% | |
| 5 | Outside area, other | 3 | 7.1% | |
| 6 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 4.8% | |
| 7 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 4.8% | |
| 8 | Other | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 9 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 10 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 7 | 16.7% |
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 Daniels mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 27 | 64.3% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 4 | 9.5% | |
| 3 | Match | 3 | 7.1% | |
| 4 | Hot ember or ash | 2 | 4.8% | |
| 5 | Heat source: other | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 6 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 8 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 9 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 10 | Multiple heat sources including multiple ignitions | 1 | 2.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Daniels departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $30,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $500 | Outside equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Daniels sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 68,264 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 5,832 | 43.6 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 4,850 | 46.1 mi | |
| 1999 | Fireworks | 4,637 | 30.4 mi | |
| 1999 | Fireworks | 3,706 | 30.5 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,484 | 22.0 mi | |
| 1999 | Fireworks | 3,358 | 20.6 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,328 | 45.5 mi | |
| 2001 | Fireworks | 3,186 | 33.0 mi | |
| 1999 | Fireworks | 3,171 | 31.8 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,082 | 42.5 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,859 | 15.6 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 2,533 | 31.3 mi |
Top 4 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six West Virginia cities with population within ±25% of Daniels. 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.