In 2025, fire departments serving Georgia responded to 25 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Carbon monoxide incident lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 60% of all calls.
Feb peaks. Mar dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
149 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021. $48K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 39 | — | |
| 2022 | 30 | -23.1% | |
| 2023 | 24 | -20.0% | |
| 2024 | 31 | +29.2% | |
| 2025 | 25 | -19.4% |
For the 2 building fires Georgia departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 52 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 | 12 | 23.1% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 7 | 13.5% | |
| 3 | Equipment or service area, other | 3 | 5.8% | |
| 4 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 3 | 5.8% | |
| 5 | Construction/renovation area | 3 | 5.8% | |
| 6 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 2 | 3.8% | |
| 7 | Storage area, other | 2 | 3.8% | |
| 8 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 3.8% | |
| 9 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 2 | 3.8% | |
| 10 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 3.8% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 14 | 26.9% |
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 Georgia mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 14 | 26.9% | |
| 2 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 6 | 11.5% | |
| 3 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 5 | 9.6% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 5 | 9.6% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 5 | 9.6% | |
| 6 | Hot ember or ash | 4 | 7.7% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 3 | 5.8% | |
| 8 | Cigarette lighter | 3 | 5.8% | |
| 9 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 3 | 5.8% | |
| 10 | Heat source: other | 2 | 3.8% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 2 | 3.8% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Georgia sits below the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 1,901 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Recreation and ceremony | 547 | 27.0 mi | |
| 2001 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 330 | 42.8 mi | |
| 2001 | Natural | 80 | 25.4 mi | |
| 2001 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 77 | 42.8 mi | |
| 1994 | Smoking | 75 | 45.3 mi | |
| 2001 | Recreation and ceremony | 60 | 42.8 mi | |
| 2020 | Equipment and vehicle use | 55 | 35.1 mi | |
| 2001 | Natural | 52 | 37.6 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 51 | 27.3 mi | |
| 2007 | Debris and open burning | 50 | 27.3 mi | |
| 2012 | Recreation and ceremony | 50 | 9.9 mi | |
| 1995 | Arson/incendiarism | 45 | 18.7 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 Vermont cities with population within ±25% of Georgia. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Georgia.
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.