In 2025, fire departments serving Fort Ashby responded to 35 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $100K 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 83% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Aug dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
177 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $169K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 43 | — | |
| 2022 | 38 | -11.6% | |
| 2023 | 37 | -2.6% | |
| 2024 | 24 | -35.1% | |
| 2025 | 35 | +45.8% |
For the 11 building fires Fort Ashby departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 28 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 | 12 | 42.9% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 10.7% | |
| 3 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 2 | 7.1% | |
| 4 | Outside area, other | 2 | 7.1% | |
| 5 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 7.1% | |
| 6 | Other | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 7 | Storage room, area, tank, or bin | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 8 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 9 | Wall assembly | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 10 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 2 | 7.1% |
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 Fort Ashby mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 12 | 42.9% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 5 | 17.9% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 3 | 10.7% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 7.1% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 2 | 7.1% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 7 | Explosive, fireworks, other | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 8 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 3.6% | |
| 9 | Flying brand, ember, spark | 1 | 3.6% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Fort Ashby departments in 2025. These 5 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $100,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $15,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $10,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $2,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $500 | Special outside fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Fort Ashby sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 14,461 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Natural | 2,743 | 45.5 mi | |
| 2001 | Equipment and vehicle use | 1,800 | 43.7 mi | |
| 2012 | Natural | 1,200 | 48.5 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,000 | 45.8 mi | |
| 2014 | Arson/incendiarism | 888 | 24.8 mi | |
| 2012 | Recreation and ceremony | 755 | 39.8 mi | |
| 2005 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 755 | 23.8 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 610 | 28.6 mi | |
| 1994 | Arson/incendiarism | 546 | 43.6 mi | |
| 2008 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 480 | 22.9 mi | |
| 2001 | Smoking | 467 | 24.0 mi | |
| 2018 | Arson/incendiarism | 428 | 46.2 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 Fort Ashby. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Fort Ashby.
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.