In 2025, fire departments serving Elmira responded to 303 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $200K building blaze. Here's the full picture.
Gas leak (natural gas or LPG) lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 72% of all calls.
Aug peaks. Dec dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
1,900 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $462K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 332 | — | |
| 2022 | 464 | +39.8% | |
| 2023 | 431 | -7.1% | |
| 2024 | 370 | -14.2% | |
| 2025 | 303 | -18.1% |
For the 24 building fires Elmira departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 36 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 | Cooking area, kitchen | 7 | 19.4% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 5 | 13.9% | |
| 3 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 11.1% | |
| 4 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 3 | 8.3% | |
| 5 | Undetermined | 3 | 8.3% | |
| 6 | Other | 2 | 5.6% | |
| 7 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 5.6% | |
| 8 | Equipment or service area, other | 2 | 5.6% | |
| 9 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 5.6% | |
| 10 | Function area, other | 1 | 2.8% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 5 | 13.9% |
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 Elmira mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 7 | 19.4% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 6 | 16.7% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 6 | 16.7% | |
| 4 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 5 | 13.9% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 3 | 8.3% | |
| 6 | Cigarette | 3 | 8.3% | |
| 7 | Cigarette lighter | 2 | 5.6% | |
| 8 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 2.8% | |
| 9 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 2.8% | |
| 10 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 2.8% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 2.8% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Elmira departments in 2025. These 8 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $200,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $10,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $2,000 | Cooking fire, confined to container | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $1,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $500 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $300 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 8 | $150 | Cooking fire, confined to container | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Elmira sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,871 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Natural | 161 | 40.6 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 150 | 37.9 mi | |
| 1995 | Arson/incendiarism | 130 | 23.3 mi | |
| 1999 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 130 | 29.2 mi | |
| 2005 | Smoking | 120 | 43.6 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 46.0 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 95 | 27.4 mi | |
| 2015 | Arson/incendiarism | 93 | 39.2 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 85 | 16.0 mi | |
| 2016 | Debris and open burning | 73 | 18.5 mi | |
| 2009 | Smoking | 62 | 41.7 mi | |
| 2009 | Recreation and ceremony | 60 | 46.1 mi |
Top 5 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
Six New York cities with population within ±25% of Elmira. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
5 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Elmira.
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.