In 2025, fire departments serving Homer City responded to 35 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Building fires lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 83% of all calls.
Mar peaks. Oct dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
217 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2022.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 40 | — | |
| 2022 | 55 | +37.5% | |
| 2023 | 36 | -34.5% | |
| 2024 | 51 | +41.7% | |
| 2025 | 35 | -31.4% |
For the 15 building fires Homer City departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 34 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 | Outside area, other | 11 | 32.4% | |
| 2 | Undetermined | 11 | 32.4% | |
| 3 | Vehicle area, other | 3 | 8.8% | |
| 4 | Attic: vacant, crawl space above top story, cupola | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 5 | Other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 6 | Vehicle storage area; garage, carport | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 7 | Structural area, other | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Substructure area or space, crawl space | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Wall surface: exterior | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 10 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 11 | All other areas | 1 | 2.9% |
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 Homer City mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 22 | 64.7% | |
| 2 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 3 | 8.8% | |
| 3 | Heat source: other | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 4 | Spark, ember or flame from operating equipment | 2 | 5.9% | |
| 5 | Arcing | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 6 | Heat, spark from friction | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 7 | Hot ember or ash | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 8 | Warning or road flare; fusee | 1 | 2.9% | |
| 9 | Other static discharge | 1 | 2.9% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Homer City sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 2,735 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 297 | 40.1 mi | |
| 2017 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 295 | 34.7 mi | |
| 2010 | Equipment and vehicle use | 260 | 44.1 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 190 | 12.9 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 173 | 14.6 mi | |
| 2003 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 173 | 25.5 mi | |
| 2010 | Arson/incendiarism | 160 | 38.2 mi | |
| 2003 | Equipment and vehicle use | 152 | 38.0 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 150 | 44.2 mi | |
| 2005 | Arson/incendiarism | 105 | 12.4 mi | |
| 2009 | Debris and open burning | 90 | 29.5 mi | |
| 2002 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 76 | 39.9 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 | 15748 | 217 |
Six Pennsylvania cities with population within ±25% of Homer City. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Homer City.
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.