In 2025, fire departments serving Great Cacapon responded to 81 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $80K 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 85% of all calls.
Jan peaks. Oct dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
333 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $753K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 48 | — | |
| 2022 | 58 | +20.8% | |
| 2023 | 65 | +12.1% | |
| 2024 | 81 | +24.6% | |
| 2025 | 81 | +0.0% |
For the 42 building fires Great Cacapon departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 42 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 | 11 | 26.2% | |
| 2 | Wildland, woods | 5 | 11.9% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 4 | 9.5% | |
| 4 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 7.1% | |
| 5 | Outside area, other | 3 | 7.1% | |
| 6 | Other | 2 | 4.8% | |
| 7 | Common room, den, family room, living room, lounge | 2 | 4.8% | |
| 8 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 4.8% | |
| 9 | Exterior balcony, unenclosed porch | 2 | 4.8% | |
| 10 | Corridor, mall | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 7 | 16.7% |
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 Great Cacapon mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 17 | 40.5% | |
| 2 | Heat source: other | 5 | 11.9% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 4 | 9.5% | |
| 4 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 4 | 9.5% | |
| 5 | Hot ember or ash | 3 | 7.1% | |
| 6 | Match | 2 | 4.8% | |
| 7 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 8 | Cigarette | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 9 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 10 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 1 | 2.4% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 3 | 7.1% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Great Cacapon departments in 2025. These 7 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $80,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $60,000 | Passenger vehicle fire | Significant | Investigated |
| 3 | $50,000 | Fire, other | Significant | Investigated |
| 4 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 5 | $50,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 6 | $15,000 | Fire in mobile home used as fixed residence | Significant | Investigated |
| 7 | $3,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Great Cacapon sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 7,986 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,000 | 19.1 mi | |
| 2014 | Arson/incendiarism | 888 | 25.8 mi | |
| 2005 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 755 | 31.1 mi | |
| 2010 | Debris and open burning | 610 | 40.7 mi | |
| 2008 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 480 | 29.6 mi | |
| 2001 | Smoking | 467 | 45.4 mi | |
| 1996 | Recreation and ceremony | 405 | 41.2 mi | |
| 1996 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 400 | 41.6 mi | |
| 1996 | Arson/incendiarism | 350 | 41.9 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 345 | 35.5 mi | |
| 1999 | Natural | 315 | 47.0 mi | |
| 2008 | Natural | 300 | 46.0 mi |
Top 7 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 Great Cacapon. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Great Cacapon.
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.