In 2025, fire departments serving Gambier responded to 22 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $100K 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 77% of all calls.
Jul peaks. Mar dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
127 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $316K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 34 | — | |
| 2022 | 26 | -23.5% | |
| 2023 | 22 | -15.4% | |
| 2024 | 23 | +4.5% | |
| 2025 | 22 | -4.3% |
For the 0 building fires Gambier departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 34 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 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 9 | 26.5% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 9 | 26.5% | |
| 3 | Cooking area, kitchen | 3 | 8.8% | |
| 4 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 8.8% | |
| 5 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 6 | Outside area, other | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 7 | Bedroom - 5+ persons; including barrack/dormitory | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Chute/container - trash, rubbish, waste | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 2 | 5.9% |
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 Gambier mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 13 | 38.2% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 4 | 11.8% | |
| 3 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 4 | 11.8% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 3 | 8.8% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 8.8% | |
| 6 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 7 | Arcing | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 8 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Match | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Chemical reaction | 1 | 2.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Gambier departments in 2025. These 3 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $100,000 | Outside equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $30,000 | Cultivated grain or crop fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $8,500 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Gambier sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,442 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 332 | 49.5 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 171 | 22.4 mi | |
| 2013 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 22.4 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 40.4 mi | |
| 2013 | Recreation and ceremony | 75 | 44.0 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 35.9 mi | |
| 2015 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 42.4 mi | |
| 2015 | Arson/incendiarism | 50 | 44.7 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 23.9 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 50 | 37.7 mi | |
| 2014 | Debris and open burning | 35 | 21.8 mi | |
| 2005 | Debris and open burning | 30 | 19.8 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 Ohio cities with population within ±25% of Gambier. 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.