In 2025, fire departments serving Glendale responded to 36 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $100 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 67% of all calls.
Jun peaks. Sep dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
205 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $185K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 46 | — | |
| 2022 | 50 | +8.7% | |
| 2023 | 38 | -24.0% | |
| 2024 | 35 | -7.9% | |
| 2025 | 36 | +2.9% |
For the 3 building fires Glendale 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 | Outside area, other | 6 | 17.6% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 5 | 14.7% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 4 | 11.8% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 5 | Vehicle area, other | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 6 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 7 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 8 | Interior stairway or ramp | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 8 | 23.5% |
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 Glendale mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 12 | 35.3% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 5 | 14.7% | |
| 3 | Heat, spark from friction | 3 | 8.8% | |
| 4 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 8.8% | |
| 5 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 6 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 7 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 8 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Arcing | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 2 | 5.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Glendale departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $100 | Fires in structures other than in a building | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Glendale sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 24 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 633 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 125 | 41.8 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 57 | 26.8 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 53 | 26.0 mi | |
| 2017 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 45 | 42.5 mi | |
| 2004 | Debris and open burning | 45 | 47.2 mi | |
| 2001 | Debris and open burning | 30 | 39.8 mi | |
| 1999 | Debris and open burning | 25 | 45.6 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 25 | 20.2 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 25 | 30.1 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 20 | 37.1 mi | |
| 2018 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 20 | 20.7 mi | |
| 1998 | Arson/incendiarism | 15 | 48.9 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 Ohio cities with population within ±25% of Glendale. 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.