In 2025, fire departments serving Dawson Springs responded to 39 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $273K 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 54% of all calls.
Apr peaks. Jun dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
162 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $587K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 35 | — | |
| 2022 | 32 | -8.6% | |
| 2023 | 23 | -28.1% | |
| 2024 | 33 | +43.5% | |
| 2025 | 39 | +18.2% |
For the 5 building fires Dawson Springs departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 32 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 | 46.9% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 9.4% | |
| 3 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 6.2% | |
| 4 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 2 | 6.2% | |
| 5 | Duct: hvac, cable, exhaust, heating, or AC | 2 | 6.2% | |
| 6 | Wildland, woods | 2 | 6.2% | |
| 7 | Swimming pool | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 8 | Storage: supplies or tools; dead storage | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 9 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 10 | Structural area, other | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 2 | 6.2% |
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 Dawson Springs mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 22 | 68.8% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 2 | 6.2% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 6.2% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 2 | 6.2% | |
| 5 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 6 | Cigarette | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 7 | Candle | 1 | 3.1% | |
| 8 | Lightning | 1 | 3.1% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Dawson Springs departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $273,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $17,500 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $15,000 | Fires in structures other than in a building | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $10,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $500 | Outside rubbish fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $500 | Forest, woods or wildland fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $500 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Dawson Springs sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 12,487 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,400 | 43.8 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,300 | 38.9 mi | |
| 2007 | Debris and open burning | 1,200 | 41.1 mi | |
| 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,050 | 43.1 mi | |
| 2006 | Natural | 1,024 | 43.3 mi | |
| 2007 | Debris and open burning | 570 | 38.5 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 517 | 14.1 mi | |
| 2004 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 | 32.9 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 | 29.6 mi | |
| 2007 | Debris and open burning | 450 | 40.8 mi | |
| 2003 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 400 | 43.8 mi | |
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 300 | 24.8 mi |
Top 1 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
| # | ZIP | 5-yr incidents | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 42408 | 162 |
Six Kentucky cities with population within ±25% of Dawson Springs. 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.