In 2025, fire departments serving Ford City responded to 50 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 70% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
401 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 54 | — | |
| 2022 | 86 | +59.3% | |
| 2023 | 118 | +37.2% | |
| 2024 | 93 | -21.2% | |
| 2025 | 50 | -46.2% |
For the 12 building fires Ford City departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 45 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 | Outside area, other | 18 | 40.0% | |
| 2 | Function area, other | 4 | 8.9% | |
| 3 | Other | 3 | 6.7% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 6.7% | |
| 5 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 3 | 6.7% | |
| 6 | Undetermined | 3 | 6.7% | |
| 7 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 4.4% | |
| 8 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 2 | 4.4% | |
| 9 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 4.4% | |
| 10 | Storage area, other | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 4 | 8.9% |
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 Ford City mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 14 | 31.1% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 6 | 13.3% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 4 | 8.9% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 6.7% | |
| 5 | Cigarette lighter | 3 | 6.7% | |
| 6 | Heat source: other | 2 | 4.4% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 4.4% | |
| 8 | Heat from undetermined smoking material | 2 | 4.4% | |
| 9 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 10 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 2.2% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 7 | 15.6% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Ford City sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,152 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Debris and open burning | 342 | 40.8 mi | |
| 2010 | Equipment and vehicle use | 260 | 24.4 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 190 | 37.9 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 173 | 32.8 mi | |
| 2003 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 173 | 30.4 mi | |
| 2003 | Equipment and vehicle use | 152 | 14.7 mi | |
| 2013 | Debris and open burning | 106 | 42.1 mi | |
| 2005 | Arson/incendiarism | 105 | 36.6 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 76 | 21.8 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 57 | 49.5 mi | |
| 2016 | Debris and open burning | 47 | 44.7 mi | |
| 2006 | Debris and open burning | 45 | 23.8 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 Pennsylvania cities with population within ±25% of Ford City. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
2 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Ford City.
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.