In 2025, fire departments serving Dresden responded to 32 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $60K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Power line down lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 56% of all calls.
Feb peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
216 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023. $1.9M cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 28 | — | |
| 2022 | 41 | +46.4% | |
| 2023 | 64 | +56.1% | |
| 2024 | 51 | -20.3% | |
| 2025 | 32 | -37.3% |
For the 1 building fires Dresden departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 86 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 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 21 | 24.4% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 19 | 22.1% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 15 | 17.4% | |
| 4 | Wall assembly | 5 | 5.8% | |
| 5 | Wildland, woods | 5 | 5.8% | |
| 6 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 3.5% | |
| 7 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 3 | 3.5% | |
| 8 | Outside area, other | 3 | 3.5% | |
| 9 | Wall surface: exterior | 2 | 2.3% | |
| 10 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 2 | 2.3% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 8 | 9.3% |
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 Dresden mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 48 | 55.8% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 10 | 11.6% | |
| 3 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 6 | 7.0% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 5 | 5.8% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 5 | 5.8% | |
| 6 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 4 | 4.7% | |
| 7 | Molten, hot material | 2 | 2.3% | |
| 8 | Radiated heat from another fire | 2 | 2.3% | |
| 9 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 10 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 1.2% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 2 | 2.3% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Dresden departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $60,000 | Road freight or transport vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $60,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $55,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $20,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $8,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $2,500 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $1,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $500 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Dresden sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,333 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 171 | 42.7 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 9.8 mi | |
| 2019 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 49.7 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 20.3 mi | |
| 2013 | Recreation and ceremony | 75 | 18.6 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 42.1 mi | |
| 2013 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 53 | 42.5 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 28.4 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 24.0 mi | |
| 2015 | Arson/incendiarism | 50 | 23.7 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 4.1 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 18.3 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 Dresden. 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.