In 2025, fire departments serving Hamilton responded to 31 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $30K 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 45% of all calls.
Feb peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
145 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2024. $43K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 29 | — | |
| 2022 | 25 | -13.8% | |
| 2023 | 29 | +16.0% | |
| 2024 | 31 | +6.9% | |
| 2025 | 31 | +0.0% |
For the 0 building fires Hamilton departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 26 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 | 6 | 23.1% | |
| 2 | Other | 5 | 19.2% | |
| 3 | Outside area, other | 3 | 11.5% | |
| 4 | Cooking area, kitchen | 2 | 7.7% | |
| 5 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 2 | 7.7% | |
| 6 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 2 | 7.7% | |
| 7 | Equipment or service area, other | 1 | 3.8% | |
| 8 | Wall surface: exterior | 1 | 3.8% | |
| 9 | Roof surface: exterior | 1 | 3.8% | |
| 10 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 1 | 3.8% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 2 | 7.7% |
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 Hamilton mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 6 | 23.1% | |
| 2 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 4 | 15.4% | |
| 3 | Arcing | 3 | 11.5% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 7.7% | |
| 5 | Heat source: other | 1 | 3.8% | |
| 6 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 1 | 3.8% | |
| 7 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 1 | 3.8% | |
| 8 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 3.8% | |
| 9 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 3.8% | |
| 10 | Cigarette | 1 | 3.8% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 5 | 19.2% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Hamilton departments in 2025. These 1 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $30,000 | Off-road vehicle or heavy equipment fire | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Hamilton sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 12,243 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Natural | 2,138 | 48.2 mi | |
| 2011 | Other causes | 1,989 | 36.4 mi | |
| 2012 | Natural | 1,200 | 40.0 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,000 | 42.2 mi | |
| 1999 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 640 | 43.4 mi | |
| 2013 | Recreation and ceremony | 608 | 47.6 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 461 | 20.4 mi | |
| 2011 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 431 | 46.6 mi | |
| 1996 | Recreation and ceremony | 405 | 9.4 mi | |
| 1996 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 400 | 10.0 mi | |
| 1996 | Arson/incendiarism | 350 | 11.8 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 318 | 39.3 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 Virginia cities with population within ±25% of Hamilton. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Hamilton.
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.