In 2025, fire departments serving Holden responded to 93 fire and hazmat incidents — from cooking fires to gas leaks to a single $5K 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 69% of all calls.
Mar peaks. May dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
347 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2025. $402K cumulative property loss.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 63 | — | |
| 2022 | 55 | -12.7% | |
| 2023 | 64 | +16.4% | |
| 2024 | 72 | +12.5% | |
| 2025 | 93 | +29.2% |
For the 5 building fires Holden departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 54 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 | 23 | 42.6% | |
| 2 | Outside area, other | 4 | 7.4% | |
| 3 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 3 | 5.6% | |
| 4 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 5.6% | |
| 5 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 3 | 5.6% | |
| 6 | Entrance way, lobby | 2 | 3.7% | |
| 7 | Function area, other | 2 | 3.7% | |
| 8 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 2 | 3.7% | |
| 9 | Highway, parking lot, street: on or near | 2 | 3.7% | |
| 10 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 9 | 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 Holden mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 31 | 57.4% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 8 | 14.8% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 6 | 11.1% | |
| 4 | Heat from direct flame, convection currents | 2 | 3.7% | |
| 5 | Heat source: other | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 6 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 7 | Incendiary device | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 8 | Cigarette | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 9 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 10 | Lightning | 1 | 1.9% | |
| 11 | All other sources | 1 | 1.9% |
Largest single-incident property losses reported by Holden departments in 2025. These 2 fires alone account for 100% of the city's annual total.
| # | Property loss | Type | Severity | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $5,000 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
| 2 | $2,678 | Building fires | Significant | Investigated |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Holden sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 16,712 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Arson/incendiarism | 3,082 | 25.1 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,803 | 49.7 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,654 | 25.1 mi | |
| 2014 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,129 | 29.4 mi | |
| 2001 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,017 | 47.7 mi | |
| 2016 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 750 | 46.1 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 649 | 31.4 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 580 | 49.2 mi | |
| 2009 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 513 | 48.4 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 485 | 28.7 mi | |
| 1999 | Arson/incendiarism | 460 | 35.4 mi | |
| 2006 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 432 | 45.1 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 Missouri cities with population within ±25% of Holden. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Holden.
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.