In 2025, fire departments serving Hickory Grove responded to 35 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Accident, potential accident, other lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 69% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Apr dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
195 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022. $455K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 31 | — | |
| 2022 | 43 | +38.7% | |
| 2023 | 43 | +0.0% | |
| 2024 | 43 | +0.0% | |
| 2025 | 35 | -18.6% |
For the 3 building fires Hickory Grove departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 30 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 | 12 | 40.0% | |
| 2 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 4 | 13.3% | |
| 3 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 4 | 13.3% | |
| 4 | Other | 2 | 6.7% | |
| 5 | Outside area, other | 2 | 6.7% | |
| 6 | Wildland, woods | 2 | 6.7% | |
| 7 | Equipment or service area, other | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 8 | Structural area, other | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 9 | Operator/passenger area of transportation equip. | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 10 | Courtyard, patio, porch, terrace | 1 | 3.3% |
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 Hickory Grove mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 14 | 46.7% | |
| 2 | Hot ember or ash | 7 | 23.3% | |
| 3 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 4 | 13.3% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 6.7% | |
| 5 | Heat source: other | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 6 | Arcing | 1 | 3.3% | |
| 7 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 3.3% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Hickory Grove sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 10,931 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 6,431 | 45.4 mi | |
| 2007 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 562 | 44.0 mi | |
| 2016 | Debris and open burning | 535 | 43.0 mi | |
| 2008 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 493 | 41.0 mi | |
| 2014 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 300 | 48.2 mi | |
| 2000 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 200 | 49.4 mi | |
| 2011 | Debris and open burning | 200 | 45.8 mi | |
| 2001 | Debris and open burning | 175 | 39.8 mi | |
| 2000 | Arson/incendiarism | 165 | 21.0 mi | |
| 2012 | Debris and open burning | 147 | 46.7 mi | |
| 1999 | Natural | 141 | 33.5 mi | |
| 1993 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 140 | 7.9 mi |
Top 1 ZIP codes by NFIRS incident count across 2021–2025. Each ZIP has its own fire profile — dive in for neighborhood-level context.
| # | ZIP | 5-yr incidents | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 29717 | 195 |
Six South Carolina cities with population within ±25% of Hickory Grove. 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.