In 2025, fire departments serving Glouster responded to 84 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $520K 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 68% of all calls.
May peaks. Nov dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
418 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $727K cumulative property loss. 2 civilian deaths.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 59 | — | |
| 2022 | 83 | +40.7% | |
| 2023 | 76 | -8.4% | |
| 2024 | 116 | +52.6% | |
| 2025 | 84 | -27.6% |
For the 23 building fires Glouster departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 110 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 | 41 | 37.3% | |
| 2 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 13 | 11.8% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 12 | 10.9% | |
| 4 | Wildland, woods | 9 | 8.2% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 6 | 5.5% | |
| 6 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 5 | 4.5% | |
| 7 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 2.7% | |
| 8 | Other | 2 | 1.8% | |
| 9 | Exterior stairway, ramp, or fire escape | 2 | 1.8% | |
| 10 | Substructure area or space, crawl space | 2 | 1.8% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 15 | 13.6% |
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 Glouster mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 62 | 56.4% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 7 | 6.4% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 7 | 6.4% | |
| 4 | Hot ember or ash | 6 | 5.5% | |
| 5 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 5 | 4.5% | |
| 6 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 4 | 3.6% | |
| 7 | Flame/torch used for lighting | 4 | 3.6% | |
| 8 | Cigarette lighter | 3 | 2.7% | |
| 9 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 3 | 2.7% | |
| 10 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 1.8% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 7 | 6.4% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Glouster departments in 2025. These 4 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $520,000 | Building fires | Major | Investigated |
| 2 | $65,160 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $26,760 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $5,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Glouster sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,118 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 355 | 36.7 mi | |
| 2013 | Arson/incendiarism | 280 | 32.5 mi | |
| 2015 | Power generation/transmission/distribution | 131 | 20.1 mi | |
| 1995 | Equipment and vehicle use | 125 | 48.8 mi | |
| 2012 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 100 | 38.6 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 90 | 37.7 mi | |
| 2010 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 75 | 48.1 mi | |
| 2013 | Recreation and ceremony | 75 | 44.3 mi | |
| 2014 | Equipment and vehicle use | 70 | 48.1 mi | |
| 1996 | Arson/incendiarism | 60 | 46.7 mi | |
| 2020 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 60 | 36.9 mi | |
| 1998 | Arson/incendiarism | 58 | 47.1 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 Ohio cities with population within ±25% of Glouster. 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.