In 2025, fire departments serving Houtzdale responded to 10 fire and hazmat incidents . Here's the full picture.
Hazardous condition, other lead by count. Building fires lead by dollars. Together the top five categories make up about 100% of all calls.
Jul peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
71 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2023.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 11 | — | |
| 2022 | 15 | +36.4% | |
| 2023 | 22 | +46.7% | |
| 2024 | 13 | -40.9% | |
| 2025 | 10 | -23.1% |
For the 2 building fires Houtzdale departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 16 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 | 5 | 31.2% | |
| 2 | Other | 4 | 25.0% | |
| 3 | Corridor, mall | 2 | 12.5% | |
| 4 | Structural area, other | 2 | 12.5% | |
| 5 | Incinerator area | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 6 | Ceiling & floor assembly, crawl space b/t stories | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 7 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 1 | 6.2% |
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 Houtzdale mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 7 | 43.8% | |
| 2 | Arcing | 3 | 18.8% | |
| 3 | Heat source: other | 2 | 12.5% | |
| 4 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 6 | Heat from other open flame or smoking materials | 1 | 6.2% | |
| 7 | Cigarette | 1 | 6.2% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Houtzdale sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 8,886 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,329 | 45.4 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,000 | 15.9 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 917 | 44.4 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 688 | 32.0 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 | 39.1 mi | |
| 2006 | Equipment and vehicle use | 424 | 33.6 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 352 | 9.7 mi | |
| 2013 | Arson/incendiarism | 352 | 30.0 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 348 | 45.4 mi | |
| 2016 | Arson/incendiarism | 345 | 49.2 mi | |
| 2000 | Natural | 300 | 40.9 mi | |
| 2009 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 297 | 24.1 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 Pennsylvania cities with population within ±25% of Houtzdale. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Houtzdale.
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.