In 2025, fire departments serving Howard responded to 14 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.
Mar peaks. Jan dips. Watch for the typical fall climb starting in October.
115 incidents 2021–2025. Peak year was 2021.
| Year | Incidents | YoY | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 32 | — | |
| 2022 | 31 | -3.1% | |
| 2023 | 21 | -32.3% | |
| 2024 | 17 | -19.0% | |
| 2025 | 14 | -17.6% |
For the 0 building fires Howard departments responded to in 2025, here's how they were classified once investigators were finished.
NFIRS Area of Origin (AREA_ORIG) for the 15 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 | Open area - outside; included are farmland, field | 4 | 26.7% | |
| 2 | Other | 2 | 13.3% | |
| 3 | Wildland, woods | 2 | 13.3% | |
| 4 | Bedroom - < 5 persons; included are jail or prison | 1 | 6.7% | |
| 5 | Cooking area, kitchen | 1 | 6.7% | |
| 6 | Laundry area, wash house (laundry) | 1 | 6.7% | |
| 7 | Vehicle area, other | 1 | 6.7% | |
| 8 | Cargo/trunk area - all vehicles | 1 | 6.7% | |
| 9 | Engine area, running gear, wheel area | 1 | 6.7% | |
| 10 | Undetermined | 1 | 6.7% |
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 Howard mix.
| # | Heat source | Count | Share | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Undetermined | 5 | 33.3% | |
| 2 | Heat from powered equipment, other | 2 | 13.3% | |
| 3 | Radiated, conducted heat from operating equipment | 2 | 13.3% | |
| 4 | Arcing | 2 | 13.3% | |
| 5 | Hot or smoldering object, other | 1 | 6.7% | |
| 6 | Cigarette lighter | 1 | 6.7% | |
| 7 | Chemical, natural heat source, other | 1 | 6.7% | |
| 8 | Heat spread from another fire, other | 1 | 6.7% |
Per-capita rates let us compare apples to apples. Howard sits above the national average for incidents per resident.
Top 25 wildfires (1992+) in the FPA-FOD ignitions database, scaled by acres. 12,293 acres burned in this 50-mile radius. Each dot is a fire — bigger dots burned more land.
| Year | Cause | Acres | Distance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Arson/incendiarism | 4,000 | 38.8 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 1,329 | 23.7 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 1,000 | 21.2 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 917 | 24.6 mi | |
| 2018 | Debris and open burning | 688 | 16.6 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 605 | 30.5 mi | |
| 2001 | Missing data/not specified/undetermined | 500 | 6.5 mi | |
| 2006 | Equipment and vehicle use | 424 | 17.6 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 352 | 28.9 mi | |
| 2013 | Arson/incendiarism | 352 | 29.9 mi | |
| 2006 | Arson/incendiarism | 348 | 23.7 mi | |
| 2009 | Railroad operations and maintenance | 236 | 35.8 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 Howard. Useful comparison targets — same state, similar size, different fire profile.
1 departments report to NFIRS for incidents in Howard.
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.